Harry Styles poses in a promotional image for his most recent album “Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally.” The album is fun, electric and, overall, a good time. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Styles said he was influenced by dance-pop and electronic music elements while creating the album. (Promotional Image from Columbia Records)

Almost four years ago, Harry Styles released his third album “Harry’s House,” which went on to win Album of the Year at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. He then spent two years performing in his “Love on Tour” shows until July 2023, where he seemingly took a break from music. Since then, the internet has been greatly anticipating his return. We finally got that long-awaited release March 6 with Styles’ fourth album “Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally.”

Styles solidified himself as pop royalty in 2011 as a part of the beloved boy band One Direction. Following their breakup in 2016, the members have all continued with solo careers. One Direction fans have been Styles since his solo debut in 2017. Styles has been a standout artist in pop music due to his melodic vocals and perfect mix of soft, relaxing songs and upbeat dance-pop.

He began teasing his new album Dec. 12, 2025 — a momentous day for every Styles fan. Since then, he announced “Together, Together,” a series of concert residencies spanning seven cities. With over 71 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Styles has a huge fanbase. But did he do enough to exceed expectations for his return?

“Aperture,” the first song on the album, was released early Jan. 22 as the lead single. The song starts slow but quickly erupts into a bright and upbeat chorus. The consistent beat with Styles’ monotone voice creates the feeling of anticipation, which Styles brings to life with his melodic vocals. Styles’ vocals start intimate and slow, but grow with the stronger tones of “we belong together.” With elements of disco and electronic music, “Aperture” sets up a clear stance for the rest of the album, showcasing Styles’ versatility with one of the best productions on the album.

In the second track, “American Girls,” Styles follows the same pattern of a slower start followed by an energetic chorus. Styles said he was inspired to write “American Girls” after seeing three of his close friends get married and finding himself wanting to settle down too. “American Girls” tries to convey a deeper emotion with its lyrics but falls short with the baseline and synths. However, the song’s disco elements make it a great upbeat dance number.

One of the album’s standouts is “Ready, Steady, Go!.” It incorporates many elements of disco; it’s punchier and faster than the other tracks, embodying the feeling of running. “Ready, Steady, Go!” is one of the stronger, more developed songs on the album. I found myself dancing around on the first listen.

A very popular trend in music right now is talk-singing, which “Are You Listening Yet?” uses. There’s power to songs that feel like an artist is speaking directly to you with witty lyricism. The chorus continues with the disco feel, yet falls flat with the lyrics, which repeat the chorus six times.

“Taste Back,” the fifth track, is one of the best. It’s synth-heavy, but leaves a chance for Styles’ vocals to shine. The lyrics, “Must be lonely out in Paris if you talk like that / It was tough with the time, but you called me back,” have been stuck in my head since the release. The standout is Wolf Alice’s Ellie Roswell provides backing vocals on this track, as well as a few other songs on the album. Roswell’s delicate vocals complement Styles very well, creating a beautiful final chorus.

The mood shifts with the next track, “The Waiting Game.” It feels very self-aware and honest, capturing a feeling of being stuck in the same thing every day. It’s slowly become an underrated favorite for me, one I find myself putting on frequently. Styles manages to capture a soft and nostalgic energy while still keeping an upbeat chorus.

“Season 2 Weight Loss” follows Styles’ three-year break from music, where he engaged in strong physical training, including running marathons. Unfortunately, the track is anticlimactic, and it feels similar to many of the other songs on the album, especially in the instrumental. It’s far from a standout, and the electric production overshadows Styles’ lyrics and vocals.

For those who became a Styles fan through “As It Was” or his more soft-pop songs, “Coming Up Roses” is for you. It is very catchy and almost has a pop-ballad vibe — one I really enjoyed. It is one I was most surprised by and stands as one of my top five.

One of the reasons Styles is such a great artist is because of his catchy earworms of songs. “Pop” doesn’t fall under that category. It tries and fails to stand as a memorable pop song; it makes sense why Styles placed it in track nine — it’s skippable. The chorus repeats throughout most of the song, yet it’s forgettable and doesn’t get stuck in your head.

Track 10 is titled “Dance No More,” but it evokes the opposite. Once again, Styles follows the pattern of synth-heavy songs with a catchy chorus designed to get stuck in your head. “Dance No More” seems to be one of Styles’ favorites, as he even performed it on “Saturday Night Live.” Although it is a good song, at this point in the album the repetition gets boring. The song might be better suited for a single, even over “Aperture.”

The final two songs on this album are absolute perfection. “Paint By Numbers” is a soft, emotional song that begins with the line, “Oh, what a gift it is to be noticed.” In the track, Styles reflects on relationships, fame and the feeling of being forced to “paint by numbers” or live in a box. It is beautiful and melancholic, and stands as one of my favorites.

My favorite from the album, even from Styles’ whole discography, is the final track, “Carla’s Song.” Even on the first listen, I found myself emotional, longing to attend a Styles concert and to hear this song live. “Carla’s Song” celebrates the beauty of life; Styles wrote it about his close friend Carla and was inspired by a conversation they had where they introduced each other to music that was special to them. Through the chorus, Styles repeats “It’s all waiting there for you” and “I know what you like, I don’t have to read your mind.” It’s a song about being known and being seen.

So was Styles’ return to music worth the long wait? Yes.

Even though “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Ocassionally” is sometimes repetitive and some songs blend together, it is still a standout album overall. It explores themes of self-reflection, enjoyment and the beauty of life. As a longtime Styles fan, this isn’t his best work — his past album “Harry’s House” stands as his greatest of all time — but I still enjoyed it.

This album feels deeply personal and thought-out, which is often not seen in the music industry today. It is nostalgic and touching; it goes beyond the current pop music atmosphere.