Harry Styles Trades Classic Rock for Synth-Pop in New Single and Video, ‘As It Was’
variety.comChris Willman Music WriterHarry Styles has used his solo career to lean into the music of bygone decades before, with his first two albums heavily drenched in the rock singer-songwriter stylings of the ’70s.
His new single, too, has a flair for music as it was — but it’s far from a rerun of those previous albums. “As It Was,” released late Thursday, sounds like it has its roots in the synth-pop of the 1980s.
You could even say he’s vaguely in a Depeche mode… or having an A-ha moment.It may not sound anything but contemporary to younger listeners, though, who may think that, if anything, he’s adopting the style of the Weeknd, whose “Blinding Lights” also looked to some of those same catchy electro-pop bands for inspiration.
But enough about a flock of inspirations. What may really blind some fans is the “As It Was” music video and its generous offerings of Styles’ torso, in a tank top and eventually without it.
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