I understand that there have been quite a few singles that I could be covering, what with Kendrick and MCR both dropping singles within the same week and Rammstein finally getting added to Napster. But, I prefer sticking to what I have become well acquainted with, since early listens may yield skewed opinions. And let me tell you there’s been one (of many) songs on my mind that may also be on your minds as well…
Harry Styles is back in full force with the drop of his new single, As It Was. He has pulled out every single stop to skyrocket to the top of the charts with what can be described as a bit of a throwback. But, I’m not talking about a throwback to the 70s, 80s, or even 90s for that matter. I see this as a throwback to at bare minimum MGMT’s crown jewel that is Oracular Spectacular. I can even hear some Kids in that riff that Harry beats to death and back, yet every single time I come back to it with a refreshed sense of awe. Inspiration only gets so far, and we have to look beyond that little nostalgia buzz from that riff, and we need to dissect what Harry is moping about, cause this song is deceptively depressing.
The Lyrics…
…are masked by a thin layer of melancholic chords that lead me to a story of prescription drug use creating a divide between Harry and not just his family, but reality itself. It opens with lyrics that remind me of Peter Pan, longing to leave this earth to some sort of Neverland. These feelings may be brought on by the pills mentioned in the second verse. The titular phrase “As It Was” gains a whole new meaning as As It Was progresses, as during the third verse Harry quietly mentions travelling from America to an undisclosed location, marking the transition from reality to the disconnect. That may be looking too far into it, but I applaud the level of lyrical detail Harry put into what ended up as a refreshing hit.
The Sound:
Even sonically, I would go as far as to say this is more different (differenter?) than what The Jonas Brothers did with their comeback. Sucker deserves a talk eventually, but let it be known that As It Was blows it out of the water for mould-breaking. Nowadays we’ve been looking back to find inspiration, and I think we’ve hit the 80s, 90, and 2000s in the span of 6 months at this point.
7/10:
With all this good music lately, I’ve become so desperate to talk about bad music I’ve considered going back and listening to more Nickelback.
I don’t think I need to tell you to check it out.
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