Fine Line
| Harry Styles
Fine Line
Fine Line is the second studio album by singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 13 December 2019 by Columbia and Erskine Records. Preceded by three singles — "Lights Up", "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You" —, Fine Line debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the Billboard 200, making it Styles' second consecutive number-one album in the US. With 478,000 album-equivalent units sold within its first week of release (of which 393,000 are pure sales), the album earned the third-largest sales week of 2019 in the US and broke record as the biggest debut from an English male artist since Nielsen SoundScan began. This album is also the first number one on the Billboard 200 in the 2020s. Fine Line has been described as rock, pop and pop rock, with elements of prog-pop, psychedelic pop, folk, soul, funk and indie pop. - Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Oakton Outlook
Overall, Fine Line is an incredible album that shares a story and takes the listener through so many emotions.
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United by Pop
Fine Line offers strong proof of Harry’s caliber of talent.
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Invest Records
The actual sound of Fine Line is incredible, and most songs have at least one great moment to grab hold of.
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Dartnews Online
The delicate balance between heartbreak and moving on.
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Satellite
FineLine offers variety of rock, pop, and strong singing vocals that enhance the listener into another dimension.
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theredledger
Harry Styles presents authenticity in sophomore album ‘Fine Line’.
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Exclaim!
Fine Line is proof that Harry Styles has grown as an artist since his solo debut. He hasn't reached his full potential, but he's certainly well on his way.
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The Echo
“Fine Line” is a remarkable album that takes you through Styles’ navigation through a breakup and journey to self discovery.
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The Gryphon
A more confident version of himself was presented to us, and more mature, developing his own identity and character through his music, music videos, and in the past year, through his fashion.
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MV News
‘Fine Line’ is an impressive second solo release from Harry Styles.
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UVU Review
Overall, Fine Line is a great album where Harry Styles further develops his own personal sound and voice.
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The Prospector
“Fine Line” is sure to be a hit for people all around the world for years to come.
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Vogue
Harry Styles is back with a new album. Unlike its predecessor – brazenly brassy; rattling with riffs – the upcoming Fine Line is something softer and more relatable.
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Euphoria
Although this is far from a perfect album, it is exponentially more creative than Styles’ debut and has a wide melodic range so that anyone can find at least one song they love.
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The EYE
From the opening song ‘Golden’ all the way to the closing song ‘Fine Line’, the album flows through similar melodies and themes, with an overall theme of heartbreak and self renewal
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The Tower
Fine Line shows a very vulnerable side of Styles, which fans seem to love and appreciate.
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Flood Magazine
As a work of beguiling retro-modern pop, Fine Line is hard to find glaring fault with—but it’s also hard not to wish he had more aggressively summoned the improper, iconoclastic Harry we all know lurks beneath the surface, waiting for his moment.
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The Resplendent Lioness
Fine Line is a wonderful step in the right direction for Harry and one that will carry him charmingly into the next decade.
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Daily Bruin
Harry Styles’ ‘Fine Line’ conveys raw, intense emotions using experimental sounds.
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Melodic Magazine
Harry’s personality has come through more on Fine Line.
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Breeze JMU
'Fine Line' is an unapologetic explosion of soul.
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Pop Sugar
It's rare for me to like an album from top to bottom and not skip at least one song, but I feel like this is one of those where I will absolutely listen straight through.
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Metro
Sex and sadness make for a sophomore success.
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Sound Digest
For a man so wrapped in scrutiny, his fans will accept any piece of him he will offer, and Fine Line is certainly an excellent addition.
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Bernard Zuel
The thing I love most about this Harry Styles album, and its self-titled predecessor too, isn’t its music. Though really that’s pretty damn good.
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Idolator
He pushes things further and builds out a soundscape that is distinctly his own on his sophomore effort Fine Line.
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US Magazine
Fine Line is jam-packed with high-quality live instrumentation, which complements Styles’ stronger-than-ever pipes.
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Thomas Bleach
He’s created a record full of highly memorable moments that will come to life in his live show.
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Clash Magazine
This album offers more than enough thought and feeling to become a contemporary classic.
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Herald Standard
Now on his own and doing just fine, Styles embraces his new direction and the chance to shine in the spotlight all alone.
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Her Campus
All in all, it’s a solid album, and I definitely think it deserves a listen.
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CommRadio
“Harry Styles” was only a starting point for the artist, because “Fine Line” is the truth as to what Styles is capable of.
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Music Bloggery
Overall, Fine Line is better at being heart-warming and sincere that it is brash, bold and experimental, and that leaves a perpetual feeling of mediocrity when you consider that, in an ideal world, Styles would’ve have liked to pair those qualities to create a post-pop masterpiece.
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Cherwell
As any good album should, Fine Line manages to feel like it has an emotional narrative, with its sad middle tracks, upbeat conclusion and mellow outro.
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Spectrum Pulse
Mostly just a recommendation for the fans.
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The Daily Cal
‘Fine Line’ pairs indie psychedelia with pop simplicity.
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Gulf News
It concludes with hope: “We’ll be alright.” If he keeps making music like this, we all will be.
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The Northerner
Fine Line” recalls the emptiness of an unknown lover and gives its curtain call to the barren heart of a dazzling, immortal rock star.
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Daily Titan
While some songs including “Cherry,” “Adore You” and “Lights Up” are set to become instant classics in Styles’ repertoire, for longtime fans, it might disappoint.
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Standard
The most interesting boy band escapee yet.
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USA Today
But as a whole, the album is a confident and refreshing late arrival in a mostly forgettable year for pop music, reconfirming Styles' status as a bona fide rock star.
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The Times
Bubblegum and self‑pity: Harry’s two new directions.
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Telegraph
Charming but inconsequential.
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youngpost
Filled with guitar-led moments and disco pumped tunes, the singer's sophomore album impresses.
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The Edge
Psychedelics meet indie, pop-rock, and The Beatles with an essence of One Direction and what do you get... Harry Styles' 'Fine Line'.
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Irish Times
A journey of sex, sadness and self-discovery.
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Now Toronto
The former One Directioner sounds like he’s finally letting go of the dad-rock cosplay of his debut, leaning instead into ebullient, soulful pop
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The Musical Hype
Harry Styles, the ‘chosen one’ of One Direction, shines bright on his highly anticipated sophomore album, Fine Line.
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The Post Athens
With high expectations coming from both critics and fans, Styles’ Fine Line surpasses his self-titled debut by taking risks and showing off what he is capable of producing through a diverse selection of tracks.
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Styles by Sophie
I am impressed by this album. It was for sure not what I expected, but then at the same time I also didn’t really know what to expect.
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Metro News
Harry has found a path forwards; he has matured likeably, sounding at ease with himself and his music.
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The Mycenaean
Overall, the album is catchy and sweet.
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Chicago tribune
Harry Styles ‘steps into the light’ with great album.
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Pitchfork
Harry Styles hides himself inside of a mystic pop-rock record that keeps us away from who he is as a songwriter and fledgling rock star.
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Vulture
Fine Line wants it all, but the pieces don’t always jibe.
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Atwood Magazine
Atwood Magazine’s writers discuss the honesty and experimentation within Harry Styles’ second album Fine Line, an eclectic record full of excitement and wonder.
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Consequence of Sound
The One Direction alum matures as a songwriter on his sophomore LP.
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The Ringer
The former One Direction member is back with ‘Fine Line,’ a new album that jumps from new wave to Laurel Canyon sounds to Bon Iver–style indie.
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Nerds and Beyond
Styles is a wonderfully unique, talented, and dedicated musician, and he threads delicate pieces of himself into the seams of the art that he produces — Fine Line is no exception.
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The Guardian
Confident, convincing and catchy.
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WSJ
Former One Direction member Harry Styles’s new album is filled with classic-rock references, with a result more imitative than original.
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RollingStone
The English pop star makes retro-rock with a sensitive touch on his excellent second album.
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DIY
A compelling document of an artist coming to life.
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UPROXX
But on Fine Line, the songs are pulling ahead. If you’re not in yet, you will be soon.
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Variety
It’s more an album about romantic ambivalence, really, which is a perfectly fine subject for a 25-year-old who’s still sowing some oats to settle in on.
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The Young Folks
Fine Line is adequately satisfying musically but surprisingly rich lyrically.
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The Alternative
All in all, Styles’ sophomore record works because Fine Line is personable.
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Independent
Fine Line expands on the languorous guitar rock that has been Styles’ currency since he left One Direction, with copious charm and flickers of ingenuity.
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Esquire
Confident and vulnerable, Fine Line, redefines manhood for the 2020s.
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AV Club
With Fine Line, Harry Styles transforms into a California-pop iconoclast.
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Stereoboard
‘Fine Line’ is exhilarating and frustrating in equal measure, but the smart money is on that balance shifting in Styles’s favour before too long.
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The Daily Nexus
“Fine Line” undoubtedly shows Styles’ sharpened skills as both a songwriter and vocalist.
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Inquirer
Fine Line plays as a cautious effort by a retro-minded pop star not yet sure who he is.
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The Reflector
So while “Fine Line” may not be best album it can be, it sets the bar for what music and the culture surrounding it could and should be.
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The Straits Times
But whether in ecstasy or agony, Styles takes chances within the pop-rock framework and remains irresistible as a modern pop star.
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The Odyssey
'Fine Line' is an introspective look into the life of the singer himself that draws inspiration and pays tribute to some of the greatest genres of music.
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The Pop Break
As a whole, Fine Line is an emotional, guitar-filled experience, and manages to stay fresh and relatable while being even more honest than his first album.
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RIOT
With Fine Line Harry proves that his detour from the biggest boyband in the world has only steered him onto a path to becoming one the biggest artists in the world, period.
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Lakes Student Media
If indie-rock music appeals to you, Fine Line is a good addition to your playlist.
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The Arts Desk
Varied sophmore album mixes genuine treats with questionable lyrics.
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Slant Magazine
The album finds the singer sifting through genres like clothes in a fabulous wardrobe.
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Riff Magazine
Over and over again, what Styles tells us is his emotional core, the intimate, internal territory from which his emotions arise, is in fact a commodity, a fantasy identity so attractive to people as to be marketable.
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Stars and Scars
Admittedly at times, Fine Line does attempt to bite off more than it can chew, and its vast array of influences can sometimes introduce uneven tonal shifts, but thankfully, its gusto and humanity help to smooth things over.
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