Harry Styles is back with his first new music in three years, sharing the synth-pop- influenced single, ‘As It Was’.
The song opens with a child’s voice saying, “Come on Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you”, before launching into an infectious ’80s inspired hook. It was co-written and produced by Styles’ longtime collaborators Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson.
Sonically, the track is bursting with upbeat energy, but it’s a particularly vulnerable cut lyrically from Styles. “Answer the phone / Harry, you’re no good alone / Why are you sitting at home on the floor? / What kind of pills are you on?“, he sings.
An accompanying music video was filmed in London by Ukrainian director Tanu Muino. It features Styles performing various choreography in a red, sequinned leotard, opposite a woman in a blue version of the outfit, whom he’s pulled away from over the course of the song.
“Shooting [Styles] was bittersweet, as it was one of the happiest days of my life, but on the second day of the shoot, my country Ukraine was invaded, so you can imagine the insane emotions we had while shooting,” Muino said in a statement. “Me and my team from Ukraine poured so much love into this video, and you can see it onscreen.”
Watch it below:
‘As It Was’ is the first taste of Styles’ forthcoming third studio album ‘Harry’s House’, which he announced last month with a teaser trailer. It’s set for release on May 20, and will follow on from 2019’s ‘Fine Line’.
Following the album announcement, Styles teased fans with a series of tweets under the Twitter handle You Are Home, which also had a corresponding Instagram page. He was also spotted filming a music video on a giant bed outside Buckingham Palace last month.
The album’s name, ‘Harry’s House’, was also recently given approval by Joni Mitchell, of whom Styles is a noted fan.
Mitchell, who wrote the song ‘Harry’s House/Centerpiece’ as part of the 1975 album ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’, retweeted Styles’ post announcing ‘Harry’s House’, writing: “love the title”.
The former One Direction member recently announced additional UK and Europe dates for his ‘Love On Tour’ stadium shows. The demand for additional performances came after a surge in demand crashed Ticketmaster’s website back in January.
Also in January, Styles cancelled the Australian and New Zealand dates on his ‘Love On Tour’, citing “the continuing challenges for international touring”.
In April, Styles will serve as one of the headliners for this year’s Coachella, alongside Billie Eilish and Ye, or Kanye West.
The post Watch Harry Styles’ video for new single ‘As It Was’ appeared first on NME.
