When pop icon Harry Styles announced the end of his four-year hiatus on social media, fans across the world immediately started predicting what it would be like. A common consensus was that the sound would be something viewers had never seen or expected before by Styles: groovy and dancefunk. When the album was released, to some people’s horror (including myself) they were right.
In the fifteen years that Styles has been a superstar, most of his music has been a combination of love songs with a more upbeat tempo or emotional ballads with hard-hitting melodies. His audience has grown to love and appreciate this genre he has become heavily invested in, so when this album was filled with party anthems, it was reasonable for most fans to be surprised. However, his evident talent for music and production is shown throughout this entire project, changing my initial fright into delight.
Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally was released on Mar. 6, 2026, containing twelve tracks running for 42 minutes and produced by Styles’ longtime friend, Kid Harpoon, who brings fun and energy into Styles’ discography. The album provides insight as to how Styles has lived his life and the experiences that transformed him during his four-year hiatus.
The opening track and breakout single, “Aperture” sets the foundation for how the whole album is going to sound. Featuring euphoric house-influenced piano elements, pulsing drum beats, and a synth rhythm, the song transforms listeners’ environments from bedrooms to a dance festivity beaming with multi-colored lights. The production of this song, although very different from his previous works, made it an incredibly enjoyable listen that is sure to bring listeners right to their feet.
The song details Styles’ newfound ability to let the light in even when embracing the unknown, naming the song after the feature on a camera that controls the amount of light that reaches the lens. In the 5 minutes and 11 seconds that the song plays for, the line “We belong together, it finally appears it’s only love,” plays the most, with it repeating eight times throughout the span of the track. Because of how frequently the same lyrics repeat, it can become quite redundant at times. However, the instruments in the background allow for it to become a catchy beat that stays in viewers’ heads for the rest of the day.
“American Girls,” track two, is a deserving fan favorite from the album, accumulating over 8.3 million streams in its first day. As soon as the song begins, a piano melody fills the silence, providing a refreshing calmness not seen in “Aperture.” As the song progresses, the rhythm incrementally picks up when a drum beat overlay kicks in and Styles begins singing, creating a fluid beat that is one of my favorites featured in the album. The fluctuation of his voice and the increased pulsity of the song engaged me instantly and invites listeners to pay close attention to the next turn the track will take.
Diving in deeper, the upbeat tempo of this song masks an underlying desire Styles mentions to his listeners: commitment. While the rest of his peers are settling down and getting married, Styles is stuck in a loop of getting in and out of unfulfilling relationships. While he wants to stay positive about being single, he struggles with being lonely while others are falling in love all around him. Even though the song is sung from an adult perspective, the theme of comparing your personal success to others around you is a sentiment that many teenagers can relate to, including myself.
“Tell me your fears, I’ve turned back the clocks it’s that time of year,” smoothly absorbs listeners into the eighth track and a personal favorite, Coming Up Roses. Throughout the song, Styles’ vocals shine and are among my favorites that I have heard from Styles in his career. The apartness of his voice encourages listeners to be attentive to what he is saying rather than the strings in the background. Differing from most of the upbeat tracks previous to this song, Styles provides a musical element that is reminiscent of his breakout solo album, “Harry Styles,” which I personally adored. An emotional ballad about the bittersweet acceptance that relationships do not have to last forever to be special, this track is a truly exceptional feature on this album.
A deep cut that is often overlooked is the closing track, “Carla’s Song.” The track encapsulates two messages by cutting the song in-half with one acoustic melody. One aspect is referencing music legend Paul Simon’s lyrics while the other details the excitement of watching someone you love experiencing musical epiphanies. Styles’ brings us into the world in which he introduced his friend to older music and witnessed the transformative power of music. This album served this purpose for me and many others, transforming how one can view the timeless magic of music.
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Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally is evidence that Styles can do it all and shows that time away is necessary for artists to continue creating better and better music each release. Even though these tracks truly stand-out during the first listen, some honorable mentions include “Are You Listening Yet?,” “Paint By Numbers,” and “Taste Back.” Although the energizing tempo of this tracklist was refreshing, it could often offer the same repetitive beat throughout the album. However, his songwriting abilities and his ability to make the viewer want to dance with him still makes this a shining addition to his discography.
If you enjoyed listening to Virgin by Lorde, Being Funny In a Foreign Language by The 1975, or 1989 by Taylor Swift, check out Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally for more energetic beats with introspective lyricism.
9/10
