Album Review: Fine Line- Harry Styles

The Album

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Fine Line by our modern-day rockstar legend, Harry Styles - is arguably the album that made us each who we are as individuals, while simultaneously bringing us together as we watched him win his first-ever solo Grammy from our respective home and dorm room. Each day that we get out of bed, walk to the kitchen, drive to a cafe, and dance around without a care, we are reminded of the impact that this album had on us.

As an entity Fine Line is a striking album that poses hard-hitting questions to the individual, such as "do you know who you are?", and takes the listener on a tumultuous and heartfelt journey from pure bliss to doubt to loss to euphoria to jealousy to contentment. In the end leaving you shocked at the experience, from having just listened to an album that features pop sounds, soul-full bluesy instrumentation, the rumblings of classic rock, pure Beatles-esque vibrations, and the comforting lyricism of a country album all in one somehow cohesive piece. The album comes out of nowhere and instantly makes anyone a fan as it offers songs for the broken-hearted, songs for the lonely, songs for the confused, and songs for those who just want to dance.

Bri's take of the album-

I have listened to this album on repeat, I could not even try to guess how many times. I feel as though I know it better than myself honestly. This album has helped me to find myself and countless others feel comfortable in their own skin. After listening to this album and sitting with it for two years now, to me, the album speaks to the different sides of Harry. It is a message to himself and all the sides of himself. Whether it be the side of him that explores femineity and breaks barriers, the former boy-band heartthrob part, the side of him that is still a child at heart and dreams of living larger than life, the side of him that is a rockstar with daisies in his hair, the heartbroken side, the masculine side, the side that's just trying to get by. It is a message to all the versions of himself and his relationship with those versions, whether they are versions that have been created by the media or himself, have been shown in the spotlight or behind closed doors. This album, as it helped me, helped Harry to find himself, and I am eternally grateful that I was a fan from the beginning to the end of this era. Fine Line explores vulnerability and challenges the boundaries of the self.

This is an album that is written for anyone. It is one for the poets, the dreamers, the lonely, the broken, the lovers, the fighters, and everyone in between. Any listener who opens themselves up enough is made to feel at home. It is an album that gives them a place where they don't have to be afraid of being their full authentic self. Both Harry and Fine Line live up to the speech he gives at shows on tour, when listening to this album, you truly are able to be who you want to be, that is, if you dare. Personally, Fine Line has become an anchor for me, it has become the album I go back to time and time again. It grounds me when I feel like I’m drifting, and makes me feel like, in the end, everything will be alright.

So turn up the volume and dance your heart out, let the tears flow, the smiles grow, and make yourself at home. This is an album that will live on in eternity.

Liv's take of the album-

Simply put, this album is a musical masterpiece. No matter who you are, or where you are in life, you can find something to relate to in this album. Fine Line is about self-discovery and learning to be your authentic self. I’m so thankful that I got to witness Fine Line at its prime. From the Grammys to Love On Tour, it has been an exciting journey. It seems everyone has found something to love about this timeless album. The biggest thing that has come out of it being how many people have gained a sense of self, and it's not just the fans it seems have gained it. Never has Harry seemed more genuinely happy and comfortable in his own skin. It has touched the hearts of millions and taught us how to just keep on dancing, scream when things get overwhelming, kiss in the kitchen like it's a dance floor, and if we have each other's backs we'll be alright. I cannot tell you how many times the melodies of this record have floated through the air in my room. I constantly find myself going back to this album whenever I lose sight of who I am. This album has helped me find comfortability in being authentically myself and to do so without fear, and I’m sure it has held the hands of many others on the journey to find themselves. At times I’m in awe that Harry felt so comfortable that he could share these beautiful inner workings of his mind with us. From the boy who was scared of being open to the punk rocker with flowers in his hair, the different sides of himself that engulf different corners of the album is truly such an incredible thing to see.

When you press play on the first track, you immediately feel the vulnerability it is filled with. Within the twelve tracks of Fine Line everyone is invited to be authentic, vulnerable, loved, and to do what may seem impossible to some, know that you'll be alright. No track is the same, and there is something everyone can take with them when they leave. Fine Line is cinematically beautiful and will be in the hearts of millions for years to come. Let the melodies wash over your soul, and let the journey begin.

This album is for the lovers, the dreamers, the hurt, and the ones who are just trying to be alright.