Album Review: Harry Styles - "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally"

On his forth studio album, the electronica and dance tropes that Harry Styles pulls from come off as both watered down and dull, lacking punch or vibrancy.

Columbia - 2026

Harry Styles, the British singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and fashion icon, has been quite the intriguing figure in pop music over the past decade. Ever since he decided to go solo due to the boy band One Direction's demise, he's been by far the most talented and successful one of the group (it's not even a competition, really.) He's been producing arena rock, indie pop, electro pop, acoustic folk, and many other genres in between. It's hard to pin Styles' direction down since he decides to mix things up with each album. He's also pulled many influences ranging from the classic glam rock of David Bowie to the late 2000's indie of Vampire Weekend. There's a lot to like about Styles' music and many listeners will agree. He's sold out massive residencies across the globe and will continue to do so with his upcoming tour. He's scored massive hits like the mature anthem "Sign of the Times," the infectiously blissful "Watermelon Sugar," and the earworm "As It Was," and he's even scored an "Album of the Year" Grammy award for his last album from 2022. Not too shabby for Mr. Styles, no?

Now, when it comes to Harry Styles' music as a whole, I find it generally pleasant. Sure, there's a lot to appreciate on the surface: tasteful palettes, catchy grooves, pretty melodies, solid vocals. But once you go deeper, that's where I struggle to find what truly makes Styles stand out. Outside of hits like "Golden" or "Sign of the Times," which I do find enjoyable and impressive (especially with the latter track), there's not a lot there that grabs me. Much of the music just feels like background or sonic wallpaper. There have been many opportunities throughout his career so far where he could push the envelope, push his sound into bolder, more interesting territories. With 2017's Harry Styles, 2019's Fine Line, and 2022's Harry's House, he hasn't really done so. Simply toying with different sounds is quite different than diving into a genre or sound and Styles has all the resources and potential to do so down the road. He hasn't pushed himself to be a transportive artist yet, one that has truly pushed boundaries and has made an impact.

This all leads us to his fourth studio album, bafflingly titled Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally (I still don't understand that ridiculous title, folks). With the lead single "Aperture," listeners were teased that this new venture from Styles would be a dance, electronic album, which is strikingly different from his past albums. Being inspired by live LCD Soundsystem and Radiohead shows, Styles wanted to play with electronics and bring the dance floor to your headphones or speakers. This intrigued me the most out of Styles other releases since this album seemed to be gearing towards a new, bold direction for Styles. An LCD Soundsystem influenced album from Styles sounds interesting to say the very least. Continuing his string of past albums, pop producer Kid Harpoon returns as the lead producer once again.

Kiss All the Time starts out strong but quickly fades and dulls on its electronic / dance promises once I got further into the track listing. "Aperture" is a strong start to the album, a single that has since grown on me over time. Sure, its grooves and bells and whistles are very simple and coolly patient rather than them being fiery or sweaty (BRAT this is not) but its chorus and vocal harmonies are the strongest on the album. It's also surprisingly the strongest dance track on the album. Considering its slow building pace, I would've thought that other tracks on the album would pick up the pace and be more exciting and energetic in a dance setting, but much of the rest of the album doesn't dive into electronic music as deep as I would've hoped. "American Girls" dabbles in this as well and it does have some of the catchiest hooks on the album despite a rougher vocal on the chorus itself. "Ready, Steady, Go!" features some quirkier, snappier bass and electronics a la LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Metronomy, Hot Chip, or any of the 2000's indie electronica acts that blew up the dance floors of that era. It's by far the closest thing we get to that era he's pulling from but it ends up being a light splash rather than a cannonball. "Are You Listening Yet?" has some satisfying percussion performances and comes up as a highlight on the album.

"Taste Back" sounds like the bubbly, sugary soft adult contemporary pop that fans of Harry's House should enjoy (not me, so much). "The Waiting Game" is a mellow acoustic ballad with quirky blips and bloops scattered throughout, like they're coming from a Passion Pit B-side. It doesn't really hit hard or turn my head if I was waiting in line at the local Starbucks. "Season 2 Weight Loss" has some chirpy electronic blissful moments that one can appreciate, but outside of its cuteness, it just simply sounds like if Ed Sheeran collaborated with The Postal Service. "Coming Up Roses" is a pretty ballad where his vocals shine with a full backing orchestra. It's a stunning highlight that's refreshing to hear, but I don't know if it really belongs on an album full of light electro pop tunes. It does stick out like a sore thumb but regardless, it's a solid track. "Pop" is a cutesy electro pop tune that I can appreciate, like the way Styles emphasizes the track's title in the chorus. "Dance No More" is literally the only disco excursion on the entire album (he really did mean Disco, Occasionally) and isn't exactly the album's most shining moment. The song's grooves could've been pushed way harder, many of the vocal moments come off as annoying, while the "respect your mother" line is pretty darn corny. "Paint By Numbers" also sticks out like a sore thumb due to it being a strictly acoustic ballad and I would rather have this song be included on a different record or left out entirely. "Carla's Song" closes the album in lukewarm fashion, not leaving too much of an impression on me. It's a decent synth pop closer but nothing more, nothing less.

Kiss All the Time is simply not the electronic dance excursion I was hoping for, nor is it a remarkable album from Styles. It's another middling album experience full of songs that are pleasant and catchy but leave a lot to be desired. The electronica and dance tropes Styles pulls from come off as both watered down and dull, lacking punch or vibrancy. I feel like Styles' ideas and influences are well intentioned (who doesn't like Sound of Silver?) but they just come across as half baked and uninspired to me. It's a bummer, really, because I think Harry Styles can make an interesting album. If he gets in a room with the right producers, writers, and engineers, I believe he can make something interesting. He said he's been recently influenced by Floating Points and Jamie xx for this album? Why not get them in the studio with you to record something together? I'm sure it would come out far more interesting than what we've got here. Since Kid Harpoon has been a part of every solo album of Styles to a larger capacity, why don't we get some other producers in for a change and mix things up? Anyways, with Kiss All the Time, Harry Styles continues to be frustratingly full of untapped potential.

My Rating: 6 / 10

Favorite Songs: "Aperture," "American Girls," "Coming Up Roses," "Are You Listening Yet?"