Photo: Courtesy of Rolling Stone
The British singer's sophomore album closes the previous year and starts the next one with a bang as the first album to hit #1 on the Billboard charts.
“When I listen to the first album now, I can hear all of the places where I was playing it safe.”
The third-biggest debut of 2019, the album is packed with soul and Styles' undeniable rebellious charm. An outgoing attempt at erasing his boyband past, Fine Line is a fusion of Britpop, 70's rock, funky psychedelic tunes, and sexual undertones.
Heartbreak is also a present element in his otherwise roguish album, with ballads seemingly dedicated to his former lover and their emotional past. Styles confidently narrates his exploration of self-discovery, sexuality, and relationships in Fine Line as he comes into terms of finding his own niche while questioning the status quo.
“Through the two years of making the record I went through a lot of personal changes — I just had the conversations with myself that you don’t always have. And I just feel more comfortable being myself.”