“The Messenger Mixtape” was a series of stories I developed last year, building a playlist in which the writers, editors and staff of the McHenry Messenger would submit songs for me to review. This year, it is back with “The Messenger Mixtape Volume 2,” and for the first track I asked the staff what their favorite album intro was. Artistic Director Leylah Moreno submitted “Meet Me In The Hallway,” the intro of Harry Styles’ self-titled album.
This song puts haunting vocals and a solemn guitar at its forefront, and accompanied by lyrics about abandonment and change, these elements work in tandem to make a song that builds as you listen. What starts as Harry softly singing to the listener with just a weeping acoustic guitar turns into a Pink Floyd esque psychedelic hybrid that is soft on the ears and pulls you in.
“The guitar and lyrics are so hard-hitting but tender,” said Moreno, “and the song from start to finish is easy to get lost in. The song carries such a heaviness and longing to it. I think it is an underrated song of his. It is so raw and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the tracklist.”
As someone who only knows Harry Styles for his more well known radio pop songs, I did not expect such an introspective, inventive track, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a tear jerker and very enjoyable to listen to, and it acts as a perfect introduction to The Messenger Mixtape Volume 2.