It’s been nearly four years since Harry Styles released his last studio album, “Harry’s House,” which earned him the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After concluding his “Love On Tour” shows in 2023, Styles remained largely out of the public eye. When listening to his latest album, it becomes clear that his time away from the spotlight has inspired a plethora of new sounds and lyrics, often leaning towards music that evokes the need to be felt in a live, communal setting.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” is Styles’ most experimental record yet. The title itself, which departs from his previous trend of two-word album names, suggests a pivot from his hitmaking tendencies. There is no obvious chart-topping smash like 2019’s “Watermelon Sugar” or 2022’s “As It Was.” Here, Styles is testing the waters, and he invites listeners to take a sonic swim with him.
Perhaps the closest we get to Styles’ typical pop hit is the opening track “Aperture,” which was released as the lead single in January. Reminiscent of an anthemic dance track like Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” the song speaks to letting light into your life, like through the lens of a camera.
Styles performed the song live for the first time at the BRIT Awards. Wearing baggy pants, a button-down and a long tie, he grooved across the stage, along with a band and a troupe of dancers. He even hit a few moves of snappy choreography during the song’s bridge. Unlike his other current male pop star peers, Styles doesn’t shy away from giving us a dance number and full production.
The album’s second track, “American Girls,” is about how Styles keeps seeing his friends getting married. It’s a catchy, mid-tempo song that is already quickly becoming one of the fans’ favorites. The next track, “Ready, Steady, Go!” switches up to an upbeat tempo, warranting some head nodding and stank faces. In “Are You Listening Yet?” Styles gives a spoken vocal attitude that’s reminiscent of Talking Heads’ David Byrne.
The next few tracks undoubtedly give the album a summer feel, with many fans already pairing the music to beach and swimming pool videos online. “Taste Back” brings us some catchy harmonies over a deep base beat, while “The Waiting Game” sweeps through with a sweet acoustic guitar.
Leaning into more techno sounds, “Season 2 Weight Loss” features Styles asking if others will still care for him whenever things change. With a much slower approach, “Coming Up Roses” is a highlight on the album, with a gorgeous orchestral break.
Reaching the final third of the album, listeners might wonder where the more disco-sounding tracks are. With “Pop” and “Dance No More,” Styles creates an electronic soundscape that warrants some high-energy dancing. The latter is perhaps the most “disco” track on the album, and these songs will undoubtedly hit during a live show when Styles starts touring again this summer.
Slowing it down once more, “Paint By Numbers” lets Styles’ lyricism breathe as he dissects his relationship with fame. He sings, “It’s a little bit complicated when they put an image in your head, and now you’re stuck with it.”
To close out the album, Styles gives us “Carla’s Song,” a cinematic, pulsating track about sharing a piece of music and watching another person experience it for the first time. Singing “It’s all waiting there for you,” Styles reminds us of the beauty of discovering new pieces of culture. The swelling synths and reverberated vocals make this a perfect closing track, perhaps competing with his 2019 title track “Fine Line” for his best end to an album.
Not coming across as a cash grab, this album is Styles at his most artistically curious. In his “One Night in Manchester” concert film that he released on Netflix this past Sunday, his excitement about performing the album is radiant, as he goes through the project track-by-track.
Earlier this year, fans immediately sold out his upcoming “Together, Together” tour, which kicks off in May in Amsterdam. While the tour includes 30 nights at Madison Square Garden, there are no other U.S. dates as of now. West coast fans can only hope that he adds some Los Angeles dates so that they can experience the live euphoria that this album creates.