Harry Styles’ music video for “Sign of the Times” goes for some symbolism

Harry Styles went a little grandiose in his music video for “Sign of the Times,” but what else did you expect for a song like this?

The second rise of Harry Styles doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Nor does the sound he chose for “Sign of the Times,” which appears to be his lead track from his almost-here eponymous album. Even back during Made in the A.M. promotions for One Direction, he listed acts like The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and, perhaps most importantly here, The Beatles to Entertainment Weekly as being some of his influences.

The sound isn’t surprising, and neither is the music video, in some respects. Check out “Sign of the Times” below:

In one respect, letting Styles do some harness and green screen work to fly through the video actually seems like a pretty obvious choice, lyrically speaking. We mentioned it in our look at the teaser he posted over the weekend.

Sweater Weather

On a slightly more snarky note, do a coat, a white sweater, and those boots really qualify as “your best clothes”? Some of us do still remember that 2015 Gucci suit. We suspect you know the one. However, the coat does actually work, though, since it lets him wrap it around himself, as if his flying or the times about which he’s singing have left him a little chilled.

What’s most interesting, perhaps, is that this video is all nature. Again, it’s something we predicted, but you never see another human being here. On one level, that lends to the effect that he, Harry Styles, is singing directly to you, the viewer (aided, of course, by all of those closeups). On another, though, for a song that seems quite loaded with commentary about the state of the world today, to avoid showing any of that in its accompanying video takes the song to a different level. It’s not just about accepting things as a “sign of the times,” it’s about actually getting away even before the flying starts.

Next: Streaming PWR BTTM's new album, Pageant

Harry Styles (the album) from Harry Styles (the artist) arrives this Friday, May 12.