Harry Styles, an English singer, actor, and songwriter, released his newest album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, on March 6. Since then, it has reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Some may know him from the famous 2010s boy band, One Direction. The pop band included Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, the late Liam Payne, and, of course, Styles. Although the band broke up over 10 years ago, some of their music remains popular today. According to Entertainment Weekly, the band broke up in early 2016 due to exhaustion, burnout from relentless touring, and a desire for solo careers. The band announced its breakup in January 2016, although Malik had already left in March 2015; they each began solo careers shortly after.
Styles released his self-titled solo album in May of 2017, featuring a mix of soft guitar, melancholy ballads, and some rock. Two years later, he released his second album, Fine Line, in December 2019, offering pop-rock with themes of heartbreak, joy, and emotion. His third album, titled Harry’s House, was released in May of 2022 and was described as 1970s-1980s synth-pop with an old-time feel.
He then took a break from music for a few years to focus on his personal life. However, this year, Harry Styles is back.
His newest album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, stands out from his other albums. It features a lot of disco, funk, and indie-electronic vibes. Styles made this one stand out from the others with its unique musical style. The tracklist includes: “Aperture”, his recent single, “American Girls,” “Ready, Steady, Go!,” “Are You Listening Yet?,” “Taste Back,” “The Waiting Game,” “Season 2 Weight Loss,” “Coming Up Roses,” “Pop,” “Dance No More,” “Paint By Numbers” and lastly, “Carla’s Song.”
The instruments used in these songs include modular synthesizers, heavy drums, electric guitars, and, in the slower songs, occasional orchestral instruments.
This album was very well made, and all the instruments, lyrics, songs, and overall vibe blend together very well, including the cover. The album cover portrays Styles in a vintage-inspired look, wearing sunglasses, standing under a disco ball in an outdoor setting. According to The Herald News, the album cover was designed by a Portuguese graphic designer, Bráulio Amado. It really shows how the producers and Styles himself considered every small detail of the album to make it blend so well.
The main themes of the album are emotions, introspection, and the balance of personal life and human connection. From the listener’s perspective, everyone involved in creating this album did a great job conveying those themes. Every little detail seems crucial and dependent on the other.
Some of the album’s best qualities are the variety of songs and the deep, emotional lyrics. The variation in the songs was so distinct from one another, which really made it come together. For example, track 11, “Paint by Numbers,” has a slow, soft guitar vibe that can truly calm the listener when they really listen to the lyrics. But although it is completely different from track 10, “Dance No More,” which focuses on the true inspiration and meaning behind it, they still managed to connect the two songs.
Critics say Styles has problems with his lyrics on this album. In some of his funkier pop songs, the lyrics don’t make much sense. But that is why it is important to truly listen to the feel of each song to understand the meaning behind the words.
In conclusion, this album is truly a great piece of art, and the hard work and effort put into it truly show.
