Harry Styles has returned. On March 6, Styles released his long-awaited album, “Kiss all the time, Disco occasionally.” Even after he took his over two year break due to his world tour wrapping up, with this latest release, Styles proved he’s more than just a pop star.
Styles announced he would be taking a break from the public eye back in July 2023, after his final bow of Styles’ huge success, the album “Harry’s House” and his tour, “Love on Tour.” This step aside gave Styles time to focus on his life outside of fame.
We hear his gratitude for his time in People Magazine when he says, “Loving and moving through your life with love and taking a break every now and then to have some fun, I think, is a really good way to approach your life…That’s what I felt like I did the last couple years, and it led to positive changes in my life.”
To me, this was refreshing and admirable for someone so constantly in the public eye–reminding people he is also human and needs time for himself. While I–and many other fans–was sad my favorite star was leaving, the time waited seems to have paid off.
The new album shows Styles has clearly taken the time to lean into his uncertainty. As the album was clearly made to disco through the dance-pop beat, the lyrics were still able to speak so loudly. Rather than his songs trying to relate to every listener and touch on every emotion perfectly like in his previous albums, Styles lets the music speak for itself, but one thing was clear, we belong together.
On December 28, 2025, fans’ excitement grew when Styles released a video titled “Forever, Forever.” As the video begins, it shows fans getting ready for “Love on Tour.” Then, as the video wraps up, we see the words, “we belong together” fall over the screen. Fans immediately speculated he was coming back. Just a month later his album was announced.
In the first song of the album, “Aperature,” this phrase “we belong together” is continuously mentioned. To many fans, this showed Styles missed the face-to-face interaction he had with his fans before the break.
On this first track, “Aperture,” we hear a throbbing beat as the song begins. The song was able to balance between the disco beat and feel of the music while still including many meaningful lyrics connecting Styles to his fandom like, “It finally appears it’s only love,” which is repeated throughout.
Once the album was released, we saw another meaning for the phrase. In many songs we hear the thought of missing connections, ranging from undying love or simply missing a friendship. Styles yearns to be with his people.
The more melancholy tracks like “Coming Up Roses” and “Paint By Numbers,” sit most in line with his first album, “Harry Styles.” So while “Aperture” opens up the album with a euphoric feeling, my favorite track, “Paint By Numbers,” was able to send listeners into its heartfelt lyrics.
This song opens up with the lyric, “Oh, what a gift to be noticed.” This lyric has stuck with me ever since I heard it. It was able to express the utmost joy Styles shares he feels in being reconnected with his fans and the appreciation he continued to receive even during his time off.
The rest of this song continues to express lyrics of appreciation that mistakes are allowed and to appreciate the chance you have to make those. He spreads the message that its okay to “Watch the colors run.”
While the song, “Coming Up Roses,” was also able to discuss more vulnerability, tracks like, “Dance No More,” and, “Are You Listening Yet,” were much more carefree and encouraged listeners to join him on the dance floor.
For me, listening to this album, “Kiss all the time, Disco occasionally,” felt like more than just a comeback for Harry Styles. It felt like a celebration of his capabilities. From the disco beat of, “Aperture,” to the groove of, “Dance No more,” this album reminds us why we fell in love with Styles’ music in the first place. Rather than being who he is for fame, he shows he is here for the fans.
