SINGLES OF THE YEAR

From Harry Styles’ glam grandeur to Stella Donnelly’s astonishing lyricism, 2017 was rich with diversity

1 Harry Styles Sign of the Times Styles’ first post-One Direction solo single was a shock – an eccentric piano ballad stretching to nearly six minutes, aiming for Bowie/Queen levels of glam grandeur, with the singer hitting heavenly high notes as he broods on death and rebirth. The reckless ambition of the song is only part of what’s brilliant about it. The confidence and empathy in his voice just keep surging as the music builds. Styles was the only rock star all year (Bono excepted) to aim for such a giant-hearted sound. A high-risk move for a former boy-band star – but he made it feel real. 2 Lorde Homemade Dynamite Lorde had an astounding breakthrough with Melodrama, but “Homemade Dynamite” is her shattering peak, a nervously sexy synth-pop thriller…

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Rolling Stone Australia (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2018

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