After his Radio 1 spot on April 7 with Nick Grimshaw, Harry Styles‘ brand new track “Sign Of The Times” was played as part of New Music Friday, which was released through Columbia records.
It opens softly with basic piano chords and is very stripped back, showcasing his gritty vocals as he floats into a falsetto just before the pre-chorus. The ballad evolves into a guitar-heavy track, which erupts into a key-changing chorus.
He explains to Grimshaw that there ended up being seventy songs to choose from for the album, which he whittled down to thirty. Then came the ultimate task of creating the LP; for some advice, he went to hit-maker and friend Ed Sheeran (whose favourite track unfortunately didn’t make the cut).
“Sign Of The Times” has old-school Queen influences with the gospel-style backing vocals and explosive production; the melodic style even makes one think of David Bowie.
With positive feedback already flooding in, will his much-awaited album have the longevity to establish Styles as an artist to be reckoned with? We’ll have to wait and see!
You can listen to “Sign Of The Times” below:
#Peace.Love.SignOfTheTimes
