If you haven’t heard by now, Harry Styles is officially back. The preeminent pop boy has been out of the public eye (as much as anyone of his stature can be) for several years now, since his last album. Adoring fans have been waiting patiently for any sort of musical announcement, even being led astray by a business announcement along the way.
Finally, though, Styles is on his way back. He’s got his fourth studio album, titled “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which is perfectly eccentric and right to Styles’ stylings. Today, he released the first single from the album, which will also lead the album as its opener, “Aperture.”
There was an accompanying music video since Styles is big on those and has even waded into professional acting more than a couple of times. The cherry on top for a big day for the recording artist, though, is the revelation of the full 12-song tracklist for the fourth album. We now know pretty much everything we’re going to know about the album before it releases in the spring.
Harry Styles’ New Album Has 12 Tracks
Harry Styles’ first album, a self-titled debut after the official breakup of One Direction, had just 10 songs. That was almost a decade ago, but it was still a very small total in the streaming age. His second album, “Fine Line,” had 12 songs, which is more but still not what modern artists usually put out. One Direction albums had more than that typically.
The third, “Harry’s House,” had 13, but with “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally,” Styles is going back to 12 songs, which seems to be his bread and butter. In an age where Taylor Swift released 35 total songs on a project a few years ago, Styles prefers to keep things short and to the point. Here is the full tracklist:
- Aperture
- American Girls
- Ready, Steady, Go!
- Are You Listening Yet?
- Taste Back
- The Waiting Game
- Season 2 Weight Loss
- Coming Up Roses
- Pop
- Dance No More
- Paint By Numbers
- Carla’s Song
“Aperture” was released on Friday morning along with the accompanying music video. The rest of the album is set to drop on March 6, so it remains unlikely that there will be another single between now and then. None of the tracks appears to have features from other artists. This fits, as Styles has never had an artist feature on a solo album, nor has he ever featured on another artist’s work.
Some of the tracks feature interesting names, but this is also a staple of Styles’ work. He is the same artist with songs like “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” “Canyon Moon,” “Little Freak,” “Sunflower, Vol. 6,” and others. While “Aperture” seemed to feature an evolution in Styles’ sound, much of the rest of this album seems to be right on-brand for the singer/songwriter.
It remains to be seen whether that experimental sound will carry through the entire 12-song tracklist, but at least for one track, Styles appears to be trying new things. After 15 years in the music industry, several albums, a band breakup, and more, he has certainly earned the right to reinvent. There was a bit of disappointment over the new sound, but fans will probably come to love it in time.
Closing Track
With Harry Styles’ recent transition into the business world and his foray into acting (with films like The Eternals, My Policeman, and Don’t Worry Darling all coming in the last four years), some wondered if the musician would ever put out another album. That worry has evaporated, as the former One Direction frontman is officially back.
