Change the Record: Harry Styles – “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally”

All things come to an end eventually; that’s a fact of life that none of us can control. This very column could be canceled or end at any time, and I might not even get the chance to say goodbye.

Harry Styles is one man who was faced with the difficult situation of something big in his life ending, namely the boy band he was in, like 10 years ago. He then faced a brave new world and was left with how to pick up the pieces. Today, I will investigate how well he did on this rebuilding.

Styles, as implied above, was a former member of the boy band One Direction, which went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 shortly after the departure of member Zayn Malik. From there, each member tried their hand at a solo career, with varying success, but one member would stand above them all: Styles.

His embrace of more classic sounds and influences, such as David Bowie and 1980s synth-pop, made him an instant hit with the average music-listening public, who would probably arrest you if you told them to listen to anything outside their comfort zone. His first record, titled “Harry Styles,” was an enjoyable enough throwback to classic glam and pop rock, but Styles would slowly refine this sound into something a bit more refined with the later-released “Fine Line” and “Harry’s House.” Despite being listenable, Styles would always struggle to be more than a tepid callback to his influences, a position he does not seem eager to leave.

He brings us his latest album, along with a marketing gimmick that allowed fans to join a WhatsApp group with Styles. This album, with the weirdly lengthy title of “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which will be referred to as “Disco” from now on for the sake of brevity, marks a departure in style from his previous records, leaning into dance-pop and electronic music, compared with the R&B focus of “Harry’s House.” However, one thing that becomes immediately noticeable is a distinct lack of disco influence on this album. When the album title promised “Disco, Occasionally,” it meant disco never.

The album was introduced with two singles, beginning with the opening track “Aperture,” a five-minute track that sets the album’s formula: starting with a very quiet, stark instrumental, then building on it with more and more elements as the song progresses. This sounds like a recipe for success; a good crescendo and building wall of sound can be effective, but this mostly makes the track seem meandering rather than progressive, and Styles’ vocals blending into the instrumental do not help when everything else already blends into static.

The formula is less effective on the following single and second track, “American Girls.” The detuned piano, the steady drums, and the synthesizers that can only be described as “blarpy” could all work on their own, but when combined into a bland dance track, they become much less than the sum of their parts.

The album lacks cohesion, yet much of it blends together in my head. Although it has some more interesting moments, such as the track “Ready, Steady, Go!” which is this Cage the Elephant-style dance rock, led by a punchy bass line, it’s again let down by Styles sounding out of place, and the instrumental feeling like it is not going anywhere by the end. I also felt a similar sense of intrigue followed by disappointment with the track “Are You Listening Yet?”, which opens with a steady, head-bopping drumbeat but is undermined by out-of-place crowd chants and Styles’ lack of charisma.

On the opposite end is “Taste Back,” a bland piece of dance-pop that sounds like the trailer for a romantic comedy starring two people, but the audience does not know who they are. It is led by a main synth melody that sounds like a beeping calculator-like sound; it could work in a different track, but here it sounds like empty space behind Styles’ breathy voice. This album feels like holiday shopping at Southcenter Mall, while trying to find a store selling something for less than $10. It’s aimless and yet frustrating, and by the end of it, I leave with nothing.

It is not bereft of highlights. I enjoyed the funkier, bass-heavy “Pop,” as well as the more off-kilter, balladlike interlude “The Waiting Game,” but they are buried under less engaging material. The slower tracks, such as “Paint By Numbers” or “Coming Up Roses,” also didn’t work for me, although the latter has some lovely orchestral instrumentation.

At the end of the day, Styles shows ambition, but it is all rife with a sloppy execution that makes it feel unrewarding. This may be Styles’ most tepid release to date, and it is hoped that a few more years in the oven will result in a more compelling next release.