Harry’s Housewarming Party

There’s no doubt about it that this album is going to be one of the top picks for people during the summer. As I listened to the first 30 seconds of the album with a friend, both of our first thoughts were, “This is going on the summer playlist.” While I do think a couple of the songs sound the same, the lyrics have a lot of meaning when you listen to them. It comes across as hope and inspiration to keep your head up and move forward. 

The first song of the album is titled “Music For a Sushi Restaurant,” and I believe it sets the tone very well for the rest of the album. It has the same feeling as driving with the windows down, the sun shining on your arms, and your favorite music playing in the background. I listened to this in the hallways with one of my friends, and we couldn’t help but boogie for a minute. This song introduces a new vibe that is very close to his other album, but that’s just Harry’s style of music.

Song two is titled “Late Night Talking.” I personally thought this one sounded very similar to “Music For a Sushi Restaurant,” but I like the lyrics in this one a lot more. It feels less dancy and more of a vibe in the car song while thinking about someone special.

“Grapejuice” is the third song on the album, and it’s definitely my favorite out of all 13 (after “As It Was”). The opening instrumentals change the vibe of the album and feel very powerful. This song has the aesthetic of songs you listen to in your room or on a late-night drive in the summer.

“As It Was” is obviously a classic, and I don’t think any other song from the album could top it because of that. I’ve still played it at least twice a day since it came out. All of my friends know all of the words to this one, and we absolutely crank it at the bridge. “Go home, get ahead, light speed internet. I don’t wanna talk about the way that it was. Leave America, two kids follow her, I don’t wanna talk about who’s doing it first.” (2:04 in the song). We can’t help but smile and yell at that part.

Number four is “Daylight,” and my first thought was that the title is a bit basic. Other than that, the lyrics are very catchy and memorable; they were stuck in my head all day while writing this. This song is a very mellow and sweet one with not as heavy of a beat. 

“Little Freak” is between a ballad song and another one of those aesthetic songs, so it gives a different but very good feeling. The “Oooo’s” in the song are very pleasing to listen to, and I know it’ll be a very good one to sing to. The lyrics are very lovely saying, “I was thinking about you. I’m not worried about where you are or who you will go home to. I’m just thinking about you.” 

Number seven, “Matilda,” is the main ballad song in the middle of the album, and it’s the longest one lasting four minutes and six seconds. The lyrics are about a girl who ended up going through pain alone, but it’s trauma and pain that a lot of people go through. I may be wrong, but that’s what I took out of it. There’s not much of a main chorus, but that doesn’t mean the song isn’t incredibly powerful and touching.

“Cinema” was very eh. It sounds basic, and there were no vivid beat drops. The lyrics are decent, but I give it an overall eh rating.

I thought “Daydreaming” sounded very similar to the other upbeat songs on the album, but it’s much more upbeat than “Cinema.” The chorus is catchy, but it’s just “Aye! Yea! Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Aye! Yea! Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Aye! Yea! Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Aye! Yea! Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba.” It’s a very dance in front of the mirror after the shower-type beat. It talks about daydreaming with a person you want, but I think there needs to be more lyrics.

“Keep Driving” was a song that I tried to figure out the meaning of for a very long time, and I still don’t understand it completely. It lists a lot of random things. The only way to explain it is by saying the listed items don’t correspond, which relates to the title “Keep Driving,” meaning keep moving forward when a lot of things don’t make sense in the world. That probably didn’t make a lot of sense, but the song doesn’t make much sense to me regardless. Anyway, it’s a good driving song, and I love the chorus, “A small concern with how the engine sounds. We held darkness in withheld clouds. I would ask, ‘Should we just keep driving?’” 

“Satellite” is number 11 on the album. Out of the few people I talked about this album with, it’s their favorite song, and it’s one of my favorites too. I fully understand why it’s called “Satellite” with the lyrics, “Spinning around waiting for ya to pull me in.” I love the lyrics in this song because they’re very positive about waiting for someone. This one goes very hard, and the best part is at 2:35.

I would describe the song “Boyfriends” as a very good late night, tired, driving song for when you’re with someone and silence shows you’re both happy with each other. I know this song is going to be very relatable to a lot of people talking about why sometimes people you’re in a relationship with don’t understand some things, and the same old loop of trust is broken. (“They don’t know they’re just misunderstanding you”) It also talks about manipulation with, “It’s hard to know what he’s thinking. You love a fool who knows just how to get under your skin,” and, “Are they just pretending? They don’t tell you where it’s heading, and you know the game’s never ending.”

The last song of the album is “Love Of My Life,” and I think it’s a pretty good closing song. I immediately related it to a song that I always listen to while driving under street lights downtown because I got the same feeling from it. It’s a very good singing song, and you can sing it to or with your lover. This song really sums up the album talking about heartbreak and regret but ultimately finding true happiness in the end.

Overall, I’d give this album an 8.32/10. It’s a definite listen to over the summer album. While some of the songs do sound the same, the meaning of the album is very powerful and spreads hope of everything being worth it even after hard times.

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