‘Sign of the Times,’ with its nearly six-minute run time, towering crescendo, guitar (!), and reliance on pure vocals rather than overproduction (though that falsetto does have some help), sounds like almost nothing else on the radio. It’ll be the odd man out between Ed Sheeran and Drake, and that’s exactly what a debut solo single should be. ‘Sign of the Times’ is a risk with a lot of payoff. It’s also brilliantly apolitical without sounding like it – 'the times’ he’s talking about are not the current state of world affairs, but rather a relationship, either with a lover or with his fans, or both. The song’s romanticism, both lyrically and the way it deliberately recalls rock’s past, also set it and Harry apart from his peers. If this is his direction, it’ll be one worth following.

Unlike the rest of his bandmates who have tested out different genres and styles for their solo careers, Styles’ new song aligns much more with the Seventies-inspired pop-rock of One Direction’s more recent albums like Made in the A.M. Above Brian May-esque guitar parts, the singer channels his inner glam rocker for a song reminiscent of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.”

Listen the coincidence please 😂 twitter com/harrysamermaid/status/832420429205794816