By Daniel Heaphy
Harry Styles has lived a lot of life since calling time on his two-year-long stadium run, Love on Tour. The shows, which served to support his second and third studio albums Fine Line and Harry’s House, respectively, allowed Styles to graduate from ex-boyband member to respected solo musician in the eyes of the larger public, with plenty of sparkles and feather boas thrown in for good measure. Though for his devoted audience it was a two-hour extravaganza that celebrated freedom and self-acceptance, Styles has been frank about the often lonely nature of touring. It’s more than fair to say that he’s been on the road since he was a bright-eyed sixteen-year-old, beginning the moment he walked out onto the daunting X Factor audition stage. In a recent conversation with Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, Styles confessed to a feeling of existentialism while on the road, saying “Something I’ve often struggled with, in the middle of a tour, is feeling like I’m not sure what I’m giving, not sure what I’m adding to the world.”
After wrapping said tour, Styles decided to take some time off, a calculated effort to do some soul-searching and experience life as Harry the person rather than Harry the public persona. During this period, Styles lived for some time in Italy, explored the club scenes in Berlin and faced an unimaginable loss in the passing of his fellow One Direction bandmate Liam Payne. With his comeback now fully launched with the release of Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, it’s clear that Styles’ return comes from having lived a lot of life, meaning he now has something to say.
Lead single Aperture was a bold musical departure from his previous efforts, a giant leap into the world of electronic and house music with indie sensibilities. For any other artist, it would be a gamble that risks alienating their core demographic, but for an artist as established as Styles it’s a gamble he can afford to take, largely making it work thanks to its stadium-sized sing-along chorus that rejoices in themes of unity. While Styles makes the point that listeners will only be disco-ing occasionally, much of the album’s promotion has centred on imagery of dancefloors and nightclubs. How odd it is then that Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally feels surprisingly low-key. Perhaps Styles would have benefited from adopting the Beyoncé method of dropping an album unannounced, allowing one to invest in a project without a thought towards the many descriptors found in its marketing. As for what we do have, it’s a project that, while not as magical and cohesive as his previous releases, offers plenty of atmosphere, weirdness and experimentation that remains thoroughly engaging.
New single American Girls maintains Styles’ better than most ability of delivering pop-rock earworms, though it is a little repetitive and lacks a strong bridge. Ready, Steady, Go! and Are You Listening Yet? make for infectious earworms, reminiscent of the music of Tame Impala. Interestingly, while the risk-taking is commendable and feels like a natural evolution of Styles’ artistry, it’s much of the familiar that sticks in your mind upon first listen. Taste Back feels like it would slot in nicely on Harry’s House, a groovy, sun-kissed jam that’s followed by one of the most lingering numbers on the album, The Waiting Game.
As jarring as the title may first appear, Season 2 Weight Loss features the most euphoric chorus on this offering, improved only by the live performance of it that was featured on Netflix’s Harry Styles One Night in Manchester. This track is perhaps most effective in exploring Harry’s recent personal growth, as he ponders whether he is loved as he really is or just as the version of himself that has been so widely commercialised. The electronic, pop-rock and disco vibes continue on tracks like Pop, Dance No More and the stadium-ready album closer, Carla’s Song. If nothing else on this album, Harry does a bang-up job of assuring attendees to his upcoming summer concert residencies that they’re in for a whole lot of fun.
The strongest numbers from a lyrical perspective are Coming Up Roses and Paint by Numbers. As a whole, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is far more concerned with mood, sonic textures and ambience than immediately digestible storytelling. This proves to be both a strength and a weakness of the album. It’s undeniably refreshing to see an artist consistently avoid pop music cliches at every turn. Other times, however, the lyrics seem so tied to Harry’s own emotionality and perspective that it can feel like a wall is put up that the listener needs to break down in order to get anything out of the listening experience. Whether a lack of universality or immediate relatability to the lyrics here is a good or bad thing all boils down to how you like your pop music. The aforementioned songs, though oddly out of line sonically with the rest of the project, contain some of the most intriguing imagery on the project. “Does all of this seem to be bringing us closer, or am I back-seating your life, judging while you drive?” Harry ponders on Coming Up Roses, a delicate exploration of the album’s theme of doubt and confusion.
Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is an album that rewards the listener if they choose to give it the time. Its greatest strength, something that Harry has always excelled at, is in creating a world, visuals and texture around the music that draws you in. While I’m doubtful that it will enter fan’s hearts the same way as his work has before – there’s nothing here as lyrically rousing as Sign of the Times or classically catchy as As It Was – its bold swings are the sign of a true artist. While potentially his weakest album to date, it is perhaps his most fascinating. Despite the marketing not always feeling in sync with the final project, and a little less cohesion than you may expect, this is still a fresh and transportive 12-track journey, equally suited to a live setting as it is to a more intimate environment. While it’s not the lightning in a bottle magic of, say, Fine Line, it’s another hugely interesting evolution from an artist who admirably continues to do things his way.