When a Harry Styles enthusiast and a Harry Styles conformist write an album review, this is what it looks like.
Styles released “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” — seemingly a Lana Del Rey-inspired album name — for his fourth studio album last Friday.
After a four-year hiatus, Styles’ new sound falls under a genre of electro-pop disco rather than his past of rock and pop, creating songs varying in vocals and energy.
Though these new sounds differ from Styles’ solo career, the album has subtle callbacks to his days in One Direction, which disbanded in early 2016. The beginning of the song “Paint by Numbers” sounds incredibly similar to “Once in a Lifetime” by One Direction; both discuss struggling in the public eye at such a young age.
Other songs on the album, such as “Carla’s Song” and “Coming up Roses,” have a nostalgic, comforting feel, reminding many fans of One Direction.
As a taste of the album, Styles released “Aperture” in January as a single, feeding fan satisfaction and anticipation. Unfortunately, it set expectations too high, as it remains the best song of the 12.
Many of the songs have repetitive lyrics, with the fourth track, “Are You Listening Yet?” the biggest culprit — it is not only inauthentic, but also completely insufferable.
When the lyrics aren’t being repeated over and over again, there is some superb lyricism to be found.
Jordan memorized the lyrics to “The Waiting Game” by day two of the album’s release: “Playing the waiting game / When it all adds up to nothing.”
Another one of her favorites is “Season 2 Weight Loss,” especially, “You could have been here in my arms / But we’re nothing at all.”
Credit is given where credit is due, and Styles can be given credit for his fun, unique song names. From “Aperture” to “Carla’s Song” and all in between, these names can articulate the themes of the songs and pique the interest of listeners, or at least us.
Styles’ popularity exceeds the album’s release as fans have been brawling for tickets to his upcoming “Together, Together” tour since late January. These tickets are in extremely high demand, with 11 million people queuing for 500,000 tickets, according to The Rolling Stone.
Jordan currently has one, but is looking to negotiate her other options.
Overall, the album had an interesting, unique sound and a funky, fresh vibe that makes you want to dance. As the weather gets nicer and the sun starts shining, maybe start thinking about kissing all the time. And disco-ing, occasionally.