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As we hit the dog days of summer, the artist that\u2019s started to soundtrack pool parties across the country is former One Direction bandmate and contemporary sex symbol Harry Styles.\n\nIn May, Styles released Harry\u2019s House, an album propelled by the number one hit \u201cAs It Was.\u201d Despite having critical and commercial success, a barb often thrown at the album is the idea of it being inoffensive: pleasant, \u201ceasy listening\u201d music apt for an elevator, grocery store or, perhaps, a sushi restaurant.\xa0\n\nFans of Styles have warmly accepted this, and have come to love his sly appreciation of different decades of pop music history. This latest album reveals an interesting connection to one era in particular: the 1980s and the percussive, full-bodied horn sections that came with it.\xa0\n\nThe first track on Harry\u2019s House, \u201cMusic for a Sushi Restaurant,\u201d offers a whole chorus of just horns, in an homage to one of Styles\u2019s musical touchstones, Peter Gabriel. These 80s \u201csledgehammer horns\u201d connect to a deep well of 80s grooves\u2014from Lionel Richie's "Up All Night" to Janet Jackson and Herb Alpert's "Diamonds," \u2014as Styles's strives to achieve the same effortless funk and propulsion of his brassy icons.\n\nMORE\nSledgehammer Horns playlist\nEvery Olivia Wilde reference Vulture found on Harry\u2019s House\n\xa0\nSongs Discussed\n\nHarry Styles - As It Was, Music for a Sushi Restaurant, Daydreaming\nPeter Gabriel - Sledgehammer\nLionel Richie - Up All Night\nDonna Summer - She Works Hard for the Money\nSheila E. - The Glamorous Life\nSteve Winwood - Higher Love\nJanet Jackson and Herb Alpert - Diamonds\nHerb Alpert - Rise\nNotorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize\xa0\n\nWe need your help. We are conducting a short audience survey to help plan for our future and hear from you. To participate, head to vox.com/podsurvey, and thank you!\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices