Harry Styles' Debut Single 'Sign Of The Times' Isn't All That Bad

One Direction is growing up. First, Zayn became a badboy with his risqué Pillowtalk, with Louis Tomlinson following in his footsteps by releasing his own single. Now we have Harry Styles launching his own solo career. He might as well have been the frontman of 1D, so this is a pretty big step. Luckily, Harry Styles' debut single 'Sign Of The Times' isn't all that bad.

'Sign Of The Times' is a starkly different track from any other of One Directions' or the members' tracks. It's a dreamy ballad that has a beautiful atmosphere to it. The first verse is just a sweet piano and Styles singing in a pretty falsetto. It's almost like an 70s soul song, the atmosphere and delivery really all being reminiscent of a song from that time. Right after that verse ends and the chorus kicks in, a full instrumental kicks in with rocking guitars and a beautiful orchestra backing it all with the slow, dramatic drums. 

'Sign Of The Times' sounds like Styles feels completely comfortable and in his zone. This was the sound he was meant to be making. His great falsettos and the sweet melodies sound great, and when the bridge kicks in and he starts letting his full voice out as the instrumental confidently rises, things really get into the zone. The song is six minutes in length but throughout the entire time, there's something happening that keeps it moving. The last minute is just fantastic, Styles belting out above the beautiful choir backing him and the big instrumental.

Harry Styles' solo career may be the most promising of the bunch. His debut single 'Sign Of The Times' is a great track, showcasing his vocal talents and being delivered in a sound we've never quite heard from him. It's going to be exciting to see where he goes from here, but if he keeps delivering tracks that really sound like they mean something to him, then it'll be just great.

Rating: 88 / 100

Buy or listen to 'Sign Of The Times' here: