Song Review: “As It Was'“ by Harry Styles
It’s no secret that Harry Styles has a streak of kicking off new album cycles and eras with amazing first singles, and the release of “As It Was” has kept that streak strong.
On March 28th, Styles announced his highly anticipated third album, “Harry’s House”, and the single that officially would kick off the HS3 era. Prior to the announcement, fans everywhere speculated that HS3 would be a glam rock album with a much darker aesthetic, so when fans everywhere saw the album art that was made up of pastels and other lighter colors, let’s just say we were in for a surprise.
The sound of “As It Was” was just as surprising as the aesthetic for HS3, we didn’t get that glam rock sound that many of us anticipated, but rather an alt-pop track with a very upbeat instrumental. The sound is also something that is very nostalgic. Especially with the bridge, where it sounds like a lot of the music of the indie pop music that was trending on TikTok in 2020. The instrumental also draws inspiration from instrumentals from 80s pop tracks also because of how synth heavy the track is. It’s a nostalgia-laced track, as it pulls inspiration from music trends of the last two years and from music trends of even longer ago.
“As It Was” sounds happy, but then you look at the lyrics and whatever thought that the listener has of this song being something light changes quickly. Styles’ shows the more vulnerable side of himself, telling us what he feels about loneliness, his “fears” about change, and eventually coming to a point where he needs to accept the fact that things are changing and welcome it.
“As It Was” can best be described as vulnerable and nostalgic, but also is a great way to kick off the era of Harry’s House. Personally speaking, I think this is going to be the most honest Harry album yet, especially considering the rather deep message behind As It Was. This first (and currently only) single from the album definitely sets up the stage for what the world of Harry’s House is, and what it could be. This era is going to be full of surprises, I just know it!
“As It Was” is available wherever you stream your music and Harry’s House is set to release on May 20th. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more from Harry between now and when the album drops!
