Styles wades in new era on the dancefloor – was it worth the wait?
At a time, pop was always looked at differently to what we know it as today. In 2014, influenced by key figures like Swiftie and Beyonce, the canon of “disposable pop” was something that should be championed – not outed. Much like the “authentic guitar-driven rock or the leftfield alternative routes, pop in any form it finds itself in, should be analysed and cared for like any other genre. Thus, the rise of ‘poptimism’ was born.
While it was later discovered this was a mere marketing poly to sell in a click-dominating landscape, there is plausibility that likes of Styles is still fighting its corner. As it was, pop found itself on the wrong side of the line against the “art” narrative. Now? Now, the lines feel blurred. As he draws influence from Berlin-era Bowie and LCD Soundsystem in both style and sound, Styles has seemingly traversed the plains of “banal pop” for the mainstream into a fully-fledged “authentic” rockstar. Is it the old-school cool that makes his art more palatable in a mainstream pop turf war? Whichever way it looks, throughout the 21st Century, you can’t deny the sheer force Harry has on modern culture, as he continuingly defies all pop cliché. Whether it’s his hard-to-pin-down persona that makes him undeniably affable in a world of pop predictability, is equally hard to measure. So as we enter a new era with a fourth record in tow- does Styles in 2026 pop or flop?
2017’s debut, 2019’s Fine Line, 2022’s Harry’s House – all have waded through pop idioms of ’70s sleek and style. Now, he returns with a deeply personal statement: Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. More a crisis than statement, it portrays a pained Styles in a club setting with an age range out of his own – while all his friends are all doing far cooler stuff without him. A far cry from his acoustics and sombre piano licks splashed across his previous three, it’s intrigue over excitement for Harry’s fourth.
The album starts with “Aperture,” a slow minute 5-minute burn of LCD Soundsystem-inspired synth romps draw into an accelerating finale of the “we belong together” choir chorus – the first taste into Styles romantically dancing in the dark.
It’s follow-up, “American Girls” sounds like a spliced do-over from Harry’s House project – or perhaps a scrapped idea from Matty Healy’s 1975 . Heavenly piano repeats and funky drum parts make up a mere percentile as glitchy synths and ambient drones take centre-stage. At face value, it does what a ‘typical pop’ song normally looks for: delightful instrumentals, a catchy hook but imparts next to nothing else. Ready, Steady, Go offers more dancing keys, downward synth trinkets and a vintage-style CB radio mic, no doubt playing homage to Styles’ ’70s adoration but its final repeats appear more irritating than anything else.
A militaristic march in a cult-like movement with ‘Are You Listening Yet’ is forgettable in yet another homage-turned-parody to Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem. Welcoming number Season 2 Weight Loss is a pop-electronica classic; continuing where the likes of MGMT and Phoenix spearheaded such a modern crossover. A distinct but subtle sound, it bares weight to the lack of oomph we’ve received thus far.
String-happy Coming Up Roses is among the discotheque doldrums when the lights go up and reality slaps you across the face. But hey at least you’re getting some. He’s just a go-lucky kinda guy who’ll never break your heart, “Just say the word and we’ll take up the test/Where we flirt with the bad ones and skip all the rest/But we’ll see out the night with your head on my chest, just me and you.” Lovely sentiments of course, but the stand-out on this record on here is Pop. It’s follow-up featuring usual guests of that undulating synth and a guitar rollick that no doubt makes it. A give-in to desire, a double entendre on him getting aroused or Harry just simply letting us know how much he loves carbonated drink. An intoxicating energy representing the peak of nightlife in lust and substances, it’s perhaps giving reason as to why he can’t stay away from it all.
Two tracks make up the ‘occasionally’ part of the discoing with Paint By Numbers – a satiable life lesson into the struggles of celebrity – and Carla’s Song – a grounded story finding that spark again through discovery – which bend into Styles’ former pastiche.
Despite its persistence, it feels like a record that will struggle to fill these larger-than-life dancefloors that Harry apparently finds himself in all the time occasionally. Of course, there are some obvious favourites that will make up for the mediocrity and feature heavily on his 7-city global run this year (Season 2 Weight Loss, Pop to name a few). Not to mention the desire to venture into new territory that is certainly admired – with the seismic sway LCD Soundsystem never being a bad thing. But, it’s a largely underwhelming record for a star who has been hitting home runs for more than half a decade. I suppose even our most “authentic” popstars are allowed at least one strikeout.
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