Expectations for Harry Styles’s fourth studio album were clear. Fans expected disco beats, dance floor energy and another wave of hit singles like Harry’s House. Instead, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally feels quieter, moodier and much more reflective.
Nearly four years after Harry’s House won a Grammy for Album of the Year, Styles returns with an album that moves in a different direction. I expected the record to fully lean into disco and electronic dance music based on the title. After listening, it feels much more like dance rock with electronic sounds layered into the production.
Lead single “Aperture” opens the album with a slower and more atmospheric sound. It is probably the weakest lead single of Styles’s four albums. Songs “Sign of the Times,” “Lights Up” and “As It Was” feel bigger right away. I appreciate Styles is trying something new and experimenting with electronic production.
That darker mood continues on “American Girls.” Styles sings, “I’ve known you for ages, it’s all that I’ve heard / My friends are in love with American girls.” The song slowly builds but never fully reaches the big moment it feels like it is leading toward. I kept expecting the song to grow more, but it stays restrained.
“Ready, Steady, Go!” is one of the songs that really grabbed my attention. The funky bassline carries the entire track and gives the song an energy that some earlier songs on the album lack. It feels playful and confident, sounding the closest to something that could become a hit.
One of the most interesting songs lyrically is “The Waiting Game.” Styles sings, “You found someone to put your arms around / Playing the waiting game / But it all adds up to nothing.” The lyrics sound like someone talking to themselves reflecting on their own relationships and the way things sometimes never work out the way you expect.
The album reaches one of its strongest moments instrumentally with “Coming Up Roses.” The sweeping strings give a cinematic feeling that Styles has not really explored before. When he sings, “Now I see your tears on account of my wants,” the lyrics feel vulnerable and almost guilty, like he is recognizing the impact he has on someone else.
Closing track “Carla’s Song” ended up being my favorite on the album. The synths finally bring the electronic dance energy I expected earlier in the record. The song feels like the payoff the album had been building toward the entire time.
In some ways, Styles’s previous albums probably connect more with a general audience. Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally feels more personal and reflective. It sounds like an artist entering a new stage of life, and trying to understand where he stands now.
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