For the past two years, Harry Styles has kept out of the spotlight. From turning down pictures from fans to being spotted running the Berlin and Tokyo marathons, it’s clear he doesn’t care to follow what famous musicians “should” do.
After spending ample time on personal and physical revitalization, he finally released his fourth studio album, “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally,” (shortened to “Kissco” by fans) on Mar. 6. Blending synth-pop with a modern take on disco, the album is a bold departure from his traditional “basic” pop sound.
Styles kicked off his new era with the release of lead single “Aperture,” which signalled to fans how different the sound of “Kissco” would be to his previous discography. Inspired by LCD Soundsystem, Styles incorporated house and techno elements in his most radio-unfriendly single to date. “Aperture” is bound to make any listener feel like they’re dancing in a European club.
I immediately fell in love with “Aperture.” It’s an understated track where the more I listen to it, the more my appreciation for it grows. It’s one of those tracks where I notice something new about the lyrics or production every time I play it. However, it was not a great indicator of what “Kissco” would sound like. “Aperture’s” sound is generally more bold than the rest of the tracklist, which align more closely with his traditional pop sound.
For the second single released alongside the album, Styles selected the second track on the album, “American Girls.” While I enjoy this song, it doesn’t come close to matching up to “Aperture.” The incredibly simplistic lyrics made it difficult for me to derive any real meaning from the song. Apparently, that wasn’t his intention.
“Watching them get married I was like ‘I’m single so I’m having all the fun’—and ‘American Girls’ is actually about watching them get married,” Styles told Zane Lowe in an interview with Apple Music. “And there just is a magic when you find the right person that you want to be with.”
The concept he describes in this interview of watching his friends getting married and hoping he will find the same fate is very interesting. But if this interview didn’t exist, the vague lyrics of the track would never lead a listener to make that conclusion on their own.
Although the vague and simplistic lyricism is most strongly demonstrated in “American Girls,” it is a trend across the album and my biggest criticism of Styles’ music in general. Much of Styles’ lyrics consist of him listing a bunch of random, seemingly unconnected items and actions.
He usually gets away with this, pulling off the “quirky” lyricism. But his love for making references to things that almost nobody but the writers of the song will understand often causes the meaning of his songs to get lost in translation. He makes reference to names Fox, Leon and Katie which have no real meaning for the average listener.
However, this lacking in lyricism is only very noticeable on a couple tracks; it is overpowered by the amazing production and instrumentation. Laced with infectious bass lines and cool 80’s synth beats, “Kissco” has the most interesting instrumentals of Styles’ discography. Production is highlighted on tracks like “Dance No More” and “Ready Steady Go,” which are some of the more upbeat and experimental songs on the album.
The album doesn’t only succeed in upbeat, dance-worthy tracks; Styles continues to make incredible ballad-like songs. One of the slower songs, “Paint By Numbers,” features my favorite lyric on the album, lost in the sea of meaningless references.
“Holding the weight of the American children whose hearts you break,” Styles sings on the track.
“Paint By Numbers” details his relationship with fame and his belief that it is a “gift to be noticed, but it has nothing to do with me.” This song features some of his most mature and honest lyricism on the tracklist, a beacon of strong writing shining through the mediocrity of the rest of the tracks.
My only qualm with the “ballads” of the album is that they don’t adequately utilize Styles’ impressive vocals. Styles is one of the more impressive male vocalists of today, capable of both impressive high and low notes. His voice is kept mostly in its middle register and he never truly belts anything.
On songs like “Sign of the Times” and “Falling,” he has traditionally used his vocals more to his advantage. I understand that vocals aren’t the focus of the album, but I would’ve loved to see them highlighted more, as they are one of his greatest strengths.
All of my criticisms aside, this is a truly enjoyable album. Sometimes you don’t need to look too deep into the lyrics to enjoy the vibes a song brings. The album’s remarkable production and instrumentation bring out the immaculate vibes of the tracklist. I definitely expect this to be the “album of the summer.”
