When it was announced that Harry Styles' fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, was finally coming nearly four years after the release of Harry's House, it felt like the king was reclaiming his throne.
The state of male pop music became incredibly bleak as cheap copycats like Benson Boone or the fittingly ordinary Alex Warren emerged, though credit to Conan Gray for becoming a star in recent years.
Styles was seen as the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Like him or not, each of his first three albums features a distinct vibe. He's not the best lyricist, but he runs circles around most other male pop acts. As a performer, he features the charisma someone like Warren could only dream of (contrary to what his recent performance at the BRITs would indicate).
The results are mixed. Harry's House laid the foundation as Styles leaned into synth-pop, but Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is a big diversion from his past work. As the title suggests, it is intended to be a disco album, or at least one you can dance to. Somehow, it falls flat of that expectation.
For better or worse, the disco idea isn't fully committed to. The first side is full of very similar-sounding disco songs, very Midnights-like, but the second side is an improvement in every way.
So, it's a tale of two halves. Styles deserves credit for subverting expectations, but his fourth album is probably the worst he's put out. It's not bad, but it's something even worse: unremarkable. The songs aren't meant for a mall or Abercrombie & Fitch like Boone's, but it's unlikely any of them will have the lasting impact of “Sign of the Times” or even “Watermelon Sugar.”
A review of Harry Styles' new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally
Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally begins with “Aperture,” the lone single for the album so far. The song has been out for over a month, and it signaled a dramatic shift for Styles with its electronic roots.
There's nothing wrong with this song; the refrain of “we belong together” is a nice message to fans who have waited years for Styles' return.
However, unlike most of the album, it fails to leave a lasting impression. Sure, it's on the radio, but “Aperture” doesn't garner the same response as something like “As It Was.”
The biggest problem is that the following four songs sound similar. One of the songs asks, “Are You Listening?” which begs the question: Was Styles? It's not all bad, as “Ready, Steady, Go!” and “The Waiting Game” are absolutely groovy (the latter is the first notable and prominent use of a guitar). These will probably translate best to the stage when Styles begins his 2026 Together, Together Tour.
Side two is a big improvement
The second side (if you're listening on a turntable) of Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is a breath of fresh air. “Coming Up Roses” is a soft ballad.
In some ways, it feels out of place on the album. After a first side that was heavy on disco, the second begins with a signature love song from Styles.
A few songs later, he sings “Paint by Numbers,” which is a bit ironic. One could argue that Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is quite paint-by-numbers, especially by the standards of a disco dance album.
However, this is another standout track despite the irony of its title. Styles largely owes a lot of his sound to David Bowie, but this song sounds very similar to another British icon, Paul McCartney.
The lyrics and composition are simple enough, but it's the most candid he gets on the album. Styles begins it by conceding, “What a gift it is to be noticed / But it's nothing to do with me.”
It appears he has learned a lot during his years away from the spotlight. “Paint by Numbers” is the penultimate track before “Carla's Song” closes it out. “Carla's Song” toes the line between something from Harry's House like the synth-heavy “As It Was” and the earlier disco tracks from the first side of the album.
The ghost of David Bowie
Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally was partially recorded in the same studio (Hansa) that Bowie recorded his Berlin trilogy, but that's not the only connection the album shares with Bowie.
Granted, Bowie had the genius of Brian Eno and Tony Visconti in his favor with the Berlin Trilogy. Kid Harpoon, who has been producing Styles' music since his debut solo album and has helped Styles evolve musically, returns to produce Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
He is coming off producing Inhaler's stellar Open Wide, which has some very Styles-coded tracks, and returns to the tried and true formula of his producing style.
At times, Styles' vocals become secondary to the music. It's one thing if Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally was more of an ambient album, but Styles sings on all of the songs.
It was a questionable decision to rarely showcase his voice, nor does Styles really challenge himself vocally throughout. That is a shame, considering how much he's honed in his voice post-One Direction.
Ironically, Bowie similarly pivoted at one point to disco as Styles did. In 1983, Bowie released Let's Dance in 1983, which was a major change after Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) three years earlier and especially from “Heroes,” which was only released a few years before that.
Initially, it wasn't warmly received. U2 similarly experimented with dance-rock with Pop in 1997, hot off Achtung Baby and Zooropa. Years of hindsight later, Let's Dance and Pop have become cult classics amongst hardcore fans.
Should you listen to Harry Styles' new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally?
Could the same happen to Styles' Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally? Maybe, but it's also fair to say he took this risk with a much smaller catalog behind him than Bowie and U2 had when they took their risks.
The best thing that could happen to Styles is these songs really come to life live. A lot of them (namely “The Waiting Game, “Coming Up Roses,” and “Ready, Steady, Go!”) have a lot of potential in a live atmosphere.
It's great that Styles wasn't comfortable resting on his laurels, as he could've easily released an album full of songs just like “As It Was.” Instead, he took his music in a completely new direction, at least for the first half of his new album.
However, will you dance? Probably, but it's unlikely it will be all the time. Will you return to the album to listen again? It's unlikely it will be more than occasionally.
Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is out now.
