Harry Styles’ New Album: A Step Back or a Strategic Move?
Harry Styles has released his fourth solo album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” on Friday. This release comes with a new approach to his public persona, where he’s choosing to market himself as an ordinary guy rather than leaning into his fame and charm. This shift in strategy, however, has resulted in what many critics are calling his most anonymous work yet.
Styles has been embracing the idea of being a regular guy lately, often seen blending in with the crowd. In September, fans were taken aback when footage of Styles running the Berlin Marathon surfaced. He was seen in sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt, possibly to cover his famous tattoos. Unlike other celebrities who use such events for fundraising or media attention, Styles ran the race under a pseudonym, finishing it in under three hours.
During the promotional tour for his new album, Styles has shared that going to concerts incognito across Europe, including LCD Soundsystem in Madrid and Radiohead in Berlin, was a source of inspiration. He told BBC Radio 1’s Greg James, “It was just about getting on the other side of the audience experience.” He also mentioned to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that being an “ordinary person” is central to his self-image.
This desire to embrace the everyday can be creatively beneficial for a megastar like Styles, who has faced constant attention since his days as a teen heartthrob in One Direction. However, without a strong artistic vision or unique perspective, this approach can lead to music that feels average.
While it’s not wrong for Styles to run marathons, go out clubbing, or enjoy life beyond Hollywood, what distinguishes an artist is how they transform ordinary experiences into something extraordinary. Think of Beyoncé turning her house music history into a safe space from bigotry, or Robyn turning a glimpse of her ex on the dancefloor into a monument of heartbreak and resilience. These artists set a high standard, and it’s fair to hold Styles to the same level.
With the fame, wealth, and acclaim he has achieved, especially after the success of his 2022 album “Harry’s House,” there’s an expectation for more from Styles. Fans want him to prove he’s exceptional enough to be onstage, especially when they pay hundreds or even thousands to watch him perform.
Instead, Styles has made himself indistinct. Despite its ostentatious title, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” lacks oomph or substance (and, curiously, even less disco), making a weak case for Styles as the defining male pop star of the past decade. Yet, by many metrics, he still holds that position.
Much has been written about the recent lack of exciting pop boys, and Styles has been well-positioned to take the mantle. Hits like “Watermelon Sugar” and “As It Was” have been some of the biggest of the streaming era. All of Styles’ solo albums have reached No. 1, and “Harry’s House” won album of the year at the 2023 Grammys.
During his reign, several doppelgangers have emerged on the radio, including Role Model, Sombr, and Benson Boone. While none have matched his commercial success, their presence has reaffirmed the demand for Styles himself. Role Model once quipped on Instagram, “Harry will be back any day,” while he filled in for the time being.
Two months later, Styles’ newly announced residency at Madison Square Garden generated presale registrations in the eight-figure range, with over 20 times the available inventory. The lead single from “Kiss All the Time,” “Aperture,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Dance/Pop Songs, and Streaming Songs charts.
All signs point to “Kiss All the Time” topping charts regardless of reviews. Styles has reached a level of celebrity where the quality of his music is almost incidental. He is adored by children, moms in their 40s, and plenty of devotees in between.
More than anything, “Kiss All the Time” is a triumph of production. Styles’ longtime cowriter and executive producer, Kid Harpoon, is responsible for the heady club beats, rich grooves, and head-banging highlights like “American Girls,” “Ready, Steady, Go!,” and “Pop.” Tyler Johnson is also credited on eight of the album’s 12 songs.
Meanwhile, Styles takes a backseat as both a singer and a songwriter. His vocals tend to sit deep within the mix, coming to the foreground only in the album’s minimal ballads. His lyrics favor repetitive refrains and surface-level rallying cries, while the signature Styles-isms are few and far between. “Kiss All the Time” is his first solo album that doesn’t feature a fruit metaphor, which is a blow to fans of “Kiwi” and “Grapejuice.”
There are traces of melancholy and loneliness across this tracklist — I particularly like “The Waiting Game” as an allegory for an endless parade of rejections and flings — but Styles never introspects for long. At times, he even seems to insist that he has nothing outstanding to say, no reason for us to listen to this music over anything else.
“Oh, what a gift it is to be noticed / But it’s nothing to do with me,” Styles sings in “Paint By Numbers,” the album’s worst misfire. This lyric is also printed inside its physical vinyl gatefolds.
Styles is nothing if not true to his word; the narrator of these songs wants to melt into the music, to be lost in a swirl of limbs and synths on a dancefloor. He does not wish to stand out.
The crowd-pleasing 10th track, “Dance No More,” presents a kind of thesis for the album.
“Move it side to side / With your hands up high,” Styles sings. “Keep your customer satisfied / And live your life.”
It may not be ingenious or especially thrilling, but it is an effective sales strategy. Styles is an expert in non-specific, unserious, broadly enjoyable pop music, and it’s made him a lot of money. Why stop now?
