harry is beautiful

And let me tell you. The man was STUNNED by the depth and insight of my question. He laughed, then stared off into space for a minute then said, “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that before.”

Oh my goodness, let me tell you. The first time I listened to this album (struggling to stay awake on a Thursday night, so tired I fell asleep during Pop of all songs!), I was like…hmm. Hmm yes, okay, I can see where he’s going. Is this my fav genre? No. Do I prefer to hear him capital-s sing? Yes. I wish I’d have kept notes on my first listen but I think it was like this:

Aperture—cool. Also grew on me, but it’s a vibe. (Side note—I’ve seen a few people saying Aperture doesn’t fit the album, like it sounds very different from the rest, and I disagree w that).

American Girls—yay, wheee, pop-rock, indie-ish vibes, catchy af, and hell yeah you wanna spend your life with these American girls. Immediately liked it.

Ready Steady Go—very noisy. Like just so many noises. The baby-robot noises are scary. And theres just so much going on. Reminded me of being in my classroom, which is perhaps not ideal.

Are You Listening Yet—talking, not singing? Hmm. Kind of aggressive. Hmm.

Taste Back—catchy chorus, yes I need a little love, is this about Camille? Does she regret her life choices? I would. Good song, immediate like.

The Waiting Game—cute. Sad, but a catchy little ditty. Like.

Season 2 Weight Loss—Cool. I like it. Kinda haunting in a way?

Coming Up Roses—ohhh, he sings! And Im always a sucker for strings…so pretty. Loved it right away, very predictably.

Pop—fell asleep.

Then the next day, which I very smartly took off to stay home and digest the album, after listening back through a few times? Obsessed. Like I genuinely love this album, and it might be my favorite of his?? Which is saying a lot, since I dearly love all his albums. But this one is like Fine Line for me in terms of just wanting to listen to it on repeat—and changing my mind on which songs are my favorites every day. Right now I’m loving Taste Back, Dance No More, S2WL, and Carla’s Song the most, I think? But American Girls is the first one I queue when I get in the car with the windows down, and I’m playing Coming Up Roses & Paint by Numbers in class all the time…no skips.

Also! I am so annoyed with people calling his lyrics nonsensical. Why are people so desperate to be spoon-fed meaning? Can you not just feel it?