Harry Styles released his sophomore studio album entitled “Fine Line” back in December, further lowering our expectations that One Direction might ever get back together.

By now we’ve all had the chance to give it a listen and pick our favorites to cry to.

Golden

Never has there ever been a more perfect album opener. Golden is a fun, light-hearted song that sets you up for heartbreak later on in the album. One of my favorite things about this song is the way he manipulated the sounds in a way that makes it feel like the music is traveling from ear to ear (with headphones of course). Golden is the type of song you listen to while you’re out on a drive with the windows rolled down.

Watermelon Sugar

Watermelon Sugar was a great single to give listeners a taste of what was to come on the album. Listening to it now that the entire album is out, it’s as if the song has worn out its welcome. It’s a great song, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been so overplayed on the radio these past few months that I can’t help but skip it when it comes on in my car. One of the things I actually really like about the track is the use of brass.

Adore You

Like Watermelon Sugar, Adore You also seems a bit overplayed. That said, I can’t ignore that this song contains some of the best harmonies Harry has put out. I can also really appreciate how fun the guitar feature is. It’s another feel-good single.

Lights Up

A moment of silence for one of my most favorite music videos of all time. The way the director, Vincent Haycock, played with the colors throughout the video was genius. This was a great way to announce a comeback to the music scene and a great first single on the album. The song features some great piano melodies and a sound you wouldn’t expect from a former member of a boy band.

Cherry

I’m not quite sure where this obsession with fruit comes from but I actually kind of like it. Cherry is the first song on the album that really hits you hard with feelings. It’s rumored that Cherry is actually about Harry’s ex-girlfriend Camille Rowe. You can clearly hear her speaking at the beginning and end of the track. The outro features a snippet of her leaving a voicemail in French. The rest of the song offers beautiful acoustic guitar sound that plays throughout. It has a nice build to it but the voicemail at the end is just a bit creepy to me.

Falling

I first heard Falling while I was in the car with some friends and I was forced to keep my composure because I was driving and I couldn’t let them catch me slipping. Falling is one of the most heartbreaking songs I’ve ever heard. Harry really laid down some fantastic vocals while only accompanied by a beautiful piano. All in all, this is my favorite song on the album.

To Be So Lonely

This song begins with an interesting guitar riff and is followed with some light bass. This is another one of the lighter songs on the album. It’s kind of a weird song and I’m actually not quite sure why I like the song so much but I do. It’s also not one of the more popular songs because of how odd it sounds. It’s not a typical mainstream song.

She

This is another one of my favorites for the guitar feature alone. I like a nice guitar sound and that’s exactly what She provided. It’s one of those songs that you listen to at full volume while laying on your bed and staring at the ceiling. The song is actually quite lengthy at just over six minutes but I personally feel like you don’t even notice it. It’s got almost an older feel to it like an 80s rock vibe.

Sunflower Vol. 6

Maybe I’m wrong but I definitely feel like drugs were involved in the making of this song. It’s kind of weird in the sense that it sounds almost psychedelic. The sitar sound really reminds me of like the Sgt. Pepper’s era of The Beatles. It also features an interesting outro with some odd vocals. It’s yet another song that I really love but I’m not quite sure why.

Canyon Moon

Canyon Moon is a very popular song among my group of friends but it’s actually not one of my favorites. I like how upbeat and fun it is but in comparison with the rest of the album. It’s got some interesting lyrics but I feel like they don’t really fit with the rest of the album. I don’t have much else of an opinion on it because it just did not really stick with me like some of the other tracks.

Treat People With Kindness

This is my least favorite song on Fine Line. It has some great harmonies but I think it’s too weird. I like that overall message of it but there are a few questionable lyrics (“If our friends all pass away / It’s okay”). I just don’t know why that was included in the song. The beginning kind of reminds me of something you would hear in church which I don’t think suits his style very well.

Fine Line

(Quick fun fact: this was actually the first song I ever learned on the ukulele.) Fine Line was a great way to wrap up the album. There is a great build that happens about three quarters of the way through that I love. It sounds very dreamy at the beginning and then continues to build as more instruments begin to come in. There aren’t many lyrics to it but I think the fact that it’s so instrumental is quite beautiful. It is up there with some of my favorites on the album.

I’ve decided to leave you with a playlist I created for an unrelated project where I ranked all of Harry’s songs. It includes both albums, a few unreleased songs, and an honorably mentioned One Direction song.