Harry Styles - Lights Up: Spiralling Psychedelics in a Soulful Soundworld

After two years of musical silence, Harry Styles effortlessly demands our attention once more with the laid-back soulful vibe of his latest single, ‘Lights Up.’ Presumably providing us with our first glimpse into Harry’s second solo album set to be released later this year, ‘Lights Up’ demonstrates a definite growth in sound and style for Styles and further dramatises his departure from the cheese-pop that propelled him to fame in boyband, One Direction.

After the dramatic and hard-hitting 70s rock that Styles impressed us with in his first solo album, ‘Lights Up’ opts instead for an easy-going, spiralling psychedelic vibe that prepares us for an album of a wonderfully soulful soundworld. Clear gospel influences are heard in the swirling choir that gains increasing force and dominance through the song’s progression as Styles explores much softer and throatier vocals - an interesting progression from the powerful chest voice skilfully exhibited in much of his earlier singing career.

In fitting with the song’s unanticipated release, ‘Lights Up’ proves itself to be a hub of bountiful musical surprises. It departs from the simple format of your average verse-chorus pop song and opts for a refreshingly bolder, yet more complex structure that quickly evolves in abrupt transitions from one musical idea to the next. It allows just enough time to become familiar with a musical phrase before it proceeds onwards. It is this striking individuality of structure, as well as its quirky formation of musical ideas, that separates ‘Lights Up’ from the vast repertoire of bland, synthesised pop that currently appears in much of the UK charts. It ensures us that we will be hearing much of this song over the coming months.

Styles’ lyrical approach, which heavily discerns self-discovery, embracing one’s identity, and stepping ‘into the light,’ set Twitter ablaze with fans determining that this was Styles granting them confirmation of his bisexuality. Yet with the song’s release falling on National Coming Out Day, the music video showing Styles in an intimate setting with both men and women, and Styles’ consistent yet leisurely refusal to place a label upon his sexuality, it seems these claims are not entirely unfounded.

Yet, reacting against his fellow celebrity artists who are avidly keen to correct false rumours, Styles often shies from the public eye. His refusal to publicly address speculation acts almost as a publicity tactic ensuring that rumours continue to engulf his music and person, adding to the ever-appealing allure and mystery of Harry Styles. It reminds us that, thought we try, we may never be fully certain of what ‘Lights Up’ is about. An inner monologue of self-acceptance? A break-up? Or something else entirely? We can be almost certain that amid the speculation circling the song, we will never receive clarification from Mr. Styles. Instead, we are left with the song’s haunting closing line which echoes in repetition. It questions us, ‘do you know who you are?’ but the subtle confidence in Styles’ delivery of the line implies that he already knows the answer, whilst we remain in the dark.

By Naomi Griffiths