Harry Styles is back. His fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., arrived nearly two weeks ago, and I wanted to sit with the record before I gave my thoughts on it.

With a wait time of nearly four years, the album arrived in a much different music ecosystem, let alone world, than Harry’s House. The aforementioned record was a cultural signal of the end of the pandemic, and felt like a pretty big moment. “As It Was” has become a quintessential hit of this decade, while other songs on the record (singles and album cuts) appeared throughout our fragmented monoculture. He won album of the year. He embarked on the seismic Love On Tour, which concluded in 2023.

In the period after, Styles took a well deserved step back from the public eye- something that he seems to do with quite ease considering he is one of the most famous singers in the world (with a relatively obsessive fanbase, may I add). He took part in the Berlin and Tokyo Marathons. Saw the new Pope be announced. Worked on his brand, Pleasing. Partied, a lot- including at Berghain, one of the most renowned clubs in the world.

Some of the best music is made when artists take an intentional step back from the spotlight and take time to live life. This album was one of my most anticipated for this year, and after such a break between albums, I was excited for what I was about to hear.

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. is a set of twelve well-constructed pop songs. It has pretty high replay value, and many songs that I keep returning to. It will likely be one of my favorite albums of this year. It’s on brand: pleasing. And yet, I have to say the final product is a bit underwhelming and simple in some places.

“Aperture” starts the album off on a highlight, centered in a club-lite haze. An adventurous left-field banger, the thrumming electronic production embraces the atmosphere of a dancefloor, and Harry’s vocoded words shimmer in the negative space of the track. The anthemic chorus lifts like a rallying call, with the “we belong together” working as a thesis statement for the record. I thought it was a bold first single choice that really cleared the slate well.

Unfortunately, the strong start is wasted, because the second single and subsequent track, “American Girls,” is a dud. Sonically, it is pretty uninteresting, revolving around these clunky piano chords that don’t really work. The delivery of the chorus is slightly grating, with Styles nearly wailing. The track vaguely gestures at ideas of wanting to settle down; however, this idea it is constructed around feels like a derivative gimmick of Harry Styles cashing in on his Britishness with the girls across the pond angle. Many songs (by artists he often cites) do this idea better- look no further than rockstar forebearers Tom Petty (“American Girl) or David Bowie (“Young Americans”). It almost feels like an attempt to balance out the experimental nature of “Aperture” with banal radio fodder.

“Ready, Steady, Go!” was initially a favorite, until the first minute of the song passed. The production was fun, and a flirty tension propelled the song to the chorus. And then, it goes off the rails, settling for cooing vocals and irritating repetition. “Are You Listening Yet?” suffers due to it’s attempt at being philosophical, but the skeletal production underscores the hollow spoken word that makes up the majority of the track.

Luckily, the album rebounds with the great “Taste Back.” The production is tight, and the premise of the song is direct: getting with a former lover and questioning why they’ve returned. Details in the songwriting sharpen the track like a blade, and the chorus is soft but snarky; sure Harry is willing to get back with this person, but might as well dissect the motive.

“The Waiting Game,” is an enjoyable sonic treat, but lyrically under baked. I like the plucky notes throughout the song, and it seems like Kid Harpoon, Harry’s main producer, was having fun with this one.

Track seven, “Season 2 Weight Loss” is another personal highlight. The song has this murky, hypnotic sonic texture, letting his vocals reverberate and employing the negative space in the song quite well again, like “Aperture.” The song focuses on Harry’s personal struggles with fame, wondering if he will still be accepted as the current version of himself or if the public will turn on him. It touches on the love he wants from fans, and his own dedication to making himself the best person he can. It is quite the rich and layered message being sent with this one.

“Coming Up Roses” is as sweet as grenadine, an entrancing love ballad with a lush orchestral arrangement. The yearning feels palpable, and delivery really works well. “Pop” continues this streak of great songs, a kinetic and bright pop gem with a smirk.

“Dance No More,” the only other track besides the first one that taps into the apparent disco in the album, doesn’t work for me. The funky production feels like a parody, and the song’s reliance on nonsensical lyrics just make it confusing. I’m also not a fan of the eerie children choir backing him up in the chorus- it feels like an unnecessary choice, or some weird reference to “The Wall” by Pink Floyd. Either way, the structure is lazy, and it doesn’t work. “Paint By Numbers” is lyrically the best song on the album. He explores his culpability in the demise of Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’s relationship, and his introspection shows signs of maturity. But, the finger picked guitar instrumental makes it a boring track, and it also ends very abruptly.

“Carla’s Song” closes the album amazingly. It is an iridescent and uptempo song, with indie sleaze flavoring. It’s production is clear and builds, and Styles flexes his vocals on this one too, something that I wish he did more often. It ends the record on a hopeful note, and is definitely my favorite track on the album.

Remember how I mentioned the word brand earlier? This rollout seemed to brand this as Styles’s boldest statement yet. “Aperture” teased this, and the title and his personal life also alluded to this club aspect, which I was very interested to see. And yet…the album uses the “disco” in the title as pure aesthetic branding. None of the songs, maybe except personal lowlight “Dance No More,” even attempt to be dance music.

This isn’t necessarily surprising; Styles’s branding is what makes him one of the most successful artists of his generation. Visuals and vibes do a lot of heavy-lifting for his work. Let me preface this by saying that I think Harry is a talented performer and singer, and has created numerous great songs. But, his music isn’t the groundbreaking work of a visionary artist, with a complex story behind it, that positive media wants you to believe. He just has a good ear for catchy pop melodies.

The main issue with this album is that there is nothing compelling about some of the tracks on it- especially when they are surrounded by weak production choices. Harry’s personal narrative doesn’t have a compelling magnetism to it, because what he’s drawing from in his writing isn’t that interesting. Worse are his attempts at fluff dressed in faux-depth- his fragment writing in a lot of tracks appears shallow.

Harry showcases his artistry on numerous gems. But not many songs seem to tap into the sublime, which is annoying considering his potential to make these songs. He obviously can do it on this album, and has done it in the past too; look at “Matilda,” “Sign of the Times,” or “As It Was,” just to name a few.

Artistically, I also think he needs to get some other voices on board. Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon have helped him make some great songs, but their collaborative relationship is beginning to wear thin. Curating a broader team of producers and writers may help him flesh out his future tracks, or give him new ideas to work with. Because, truth be told, a lot of the best songs on this record feel like Harry’s House B-sides. A bit embarrassing considering this record took so long to make.

Nonetheless, I enjoy many of these songs, and perhaps some of the ones that didn’t click will be endeared to me in the future. I mean it as the utmost compliment that I know he can make a better record in totality. Guess we’ll see in 2030.

As always, thanks for reading, and until next time…

Ray