Empress Middleton/The Mossy Log
As the first artist I ever saw in concert, Harry Styles will always hold a special place in my heart. I saw him on tour during my sophomore year of high school, which is also the last time he released a new album. Now I am a sophomore in college, and my taste in music has shifted, so I was interested as to what his fourth studio album, “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.,” would sound like. From his interview with Greg James on BBC Radio 1, Styles claimed that seeing LCD Soundsystem live was a big inspiration for this album, which was exciting for me as I am a huge LCD fan.
The first single from the album, “Aperature,” came out on Jan. 22, with the full album then releasing on March 6. “Aperature” is not only the first song on the album, but also the longest, with a run time of 5:22. The sound is synth heavy with a steady buildup, which creates a nice electronic ambience. This atmospheric pop sound is carried consistently throughout the entire album, making “Aperature” not only an excellent single to release pre-album, but an excellent first track to set the tone for the rest of the album.
The second track, “American Girls,” has already begun to gain traction on social media, likely due to its catchy title and melody. It features a head-bopping beat and a relaxed pop sound.
The album takes a turn on the third track, “Ready, Steady, Go!” This song features a heavy bassline, with lighter synth melodies accompanied by Styles’ electronic vocals that create a punchy blend of sounds. This track also features a piano riff in the latter half of the song, which is reminiscent of the iconic riff in LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean.” As paparazzi cameras have captured, Styles has gotten into running marathons, and this song with its driving rhythm, to me, sounds like what running a marathon would feel like. The LCD inspiration peaks through again in the next song, “Are You Listening Yet?” in Styles’ vocal choices, with him talking in cadence rather than singing. The song has a layered mixture of electronic claps, background vocals. Styles’ chanting and the style of the drums almost reminds me of the sound of a marching band.
The album slows down for a few songs with sweet, poppy sounds and dreamy, yet anticlimactic songs. It picks up a bit with track 7, “Season 2 Weight Loss,” which features an intriguing title as well as a drum beat that is more percussive than the race beats featured in other songs. One of the collaborators on this album was Tom Skinner, who is the drummer for The Smile, alongside Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. Skinner did the drums for this song, and his experimental sound mixes well with Styles’ ambient electronic sound explored on this album.
The momentum built up throughout the album comes to a halt with song 8, “Coming Up Roses,” which, according to Styles, was originally meant to be a Christmas song. It is a cacophony of different string instruments, such as the violin, cello and viola, as well as piano — a noticeable turn away from the sound of the rest of the album. If this album is meant for the dance floor, then this track takes the listener to the ballroom dance floor. It sounded like a lovely song to waltz to, which may be attributed to the songs ¾ time.
The record has a final energetic peak with “Pop” and “Dance No More.” The latter has a groove that reminds me of Michael Jackson’s 1979 album, “Off The Wall.” This is only appropriate, considering the word “disco” is in the title of the album.
Styles leaves the synths at the door with track 11, “Paint By Numbers,” which features a more acoustic sound, similar to the ones on his self-titled debut album. Carla joins the club of women whose names Styles has used for songs, with the last track of the album being called “Carla’s Song.” This song finds a mid-point between the danceable electronic tracks and the slower love ballads of the album.
This album sounded like a Harry Styles album while still having its own unique feel. If his last album, “Harry’s House,” was a colorful explosion of confetti, this one is definitely more of a silvery disco ball, like the one on the cover art. The album certainly has some driving beats worth busting a move to, but with disco being in the album title, cover art and its advertising as a dance album, I was expecting a little more. The slower songs do not have much of a purpose or lasting impact for me. I think Styles could have turned the notch up just a bit on the energy scale and really committed to the “disco.” I will say, a throughline of the record is odd titles, not only of the songs but of the album itself, which falls into accordance with Styles’ style.
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