Fine Line
by Harry Styles
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Q Magazine
    Dec 17, 2019
    60
    Free of the shackles that hobbled his debut, Styles manages to show more of his personality here, especially on the Vampire Weekend-style Sunflower, Vol. 6. It's just a shame he can't quite keep up with his ambition. [Feb 2020, p.110]
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  2. The Observer (UK)
    Dec 16, 2019
    60
    Fine Line is a confident step in Styles’s whimsical musical adventure.
  3. AllMusic
    Dec 13, 2019
    60
    He certainly talks like he wants to make music that stands the test of time and really matters to people; if that's ever going to happen, he'll need to make records go beyond pleasant and enjoyable. Despite the handful of songs that touch of his potential for greatness, Fine Line isn't quite there yet.
  5. The Telegraph (UK)
    Dec 13, 2019
    60
    His songs are charming but inconsequential, resolutely old-fashioned, drawing influences from offbeat singer-songwriters of a certain vintage.
  6. Pitchfork
    Dec 13, 2019
    60
    The actual sound of Fine Line is incredible, and most songs have at least one great moment to grab hold of. ... While the music wades into the mystic, his songwriting, pointedly, does not. ... Styles doesn’t have the imagination of Bowie or another pop-rock touchpoint here, Fleetwood Mac, who took their lives and transfigured them through cosmic fantasia or Victorian grandeur.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 3032 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,636 out of 3032
  2. Mixed: 66 out of 3032
  3. Negative: 330 out of 3032
  1. kyssderain
    Dec 13, 2019
    10
    I'm glad he let his music evolve into something different from his debut album but still able to make it a great follow up. Fine Line got soI'm glad he let his music evolve into something different from his debut album but still able to make it a great follow up. Fine Line got so much more emotions and feelings to it. There's variety of vocals styling he used here, and the production is amazing. Love this one even more than his debut album.… Full Review »
  2. vanessa13
    Dec 14, 2019
    1
    Just like its creator, Fine Line is a a colorful cover in a world of nothing with real substance. This album feels more like a rushedJust like its creator, Fine Line is a a colorful cover in a world of nothing with real substance. This album feels more like a rushed assortment of cute titles and promo marketing than actual artistic growth or genuine creativity and imagination. Harry Styles needs to put more effort in song writing and lyrical development instead of trying so hard to sell his image. That image being a rip off of David Bowie, Elton John and Mick Jagger. For someone who looks highly of them, the listener would be confused if Harry was emulating or making a mockery of them. How drab and repetitive many tracks off the album come and go, building up to absolute nothing. Even the title track and the infamous motto of TPWK echo as uninspired. What seemed like a promising good start with Lights Up, you are left with an empty feeling as the album comes to a close. How did someone with the privilege and urge to be that different to his male counterparts miss the mark that hard? You think if only had Styles spent less time replaying Bowie videos and spent more time fostering his own artistic passion and vision, this album would have delivered something of interest. Frankly, I'm not buying what Harry Styles is selling.… Full Review »
  3. lilnasxxx
    Dec 13, 2019
    10
    As Lady Gaga once said, "talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely notAs Lady Gaga once said, "talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, **** on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it."… Full Review »
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