Harry Styles has finally ended his way-too-long hiatus with Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which is his fourth studio album since parting ways with One Direction. The title is obviously a little bit out there; it’s hard to properly type here with the capitalizations and punctuation, two things that are not overly common in album titles.

That reflects the music, which is also a bit out there. Styles has dabbled in rock, folk, and pop during his career, mostly focusing on the latter. Here, we’re getting things the singer/songwriter has never really done before. It’s an evolution in his music, and while it may not be his best work, it’s likely an important one.

Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally Review

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally opened with “Aperture” as the lead single just a handful of weeks ago. It was a little different from Harry Styles’ previous work, and it was a little controversial at the time amongst his fans. It obviously belied a further shift away from rock and folk, which many of his fans wanted more of. Let’s go through it track by track.

“Aperture”

On a track like this, Harry Styles isn’t really asking listeners to hear the lyrics outright. Of course, they make up the backbone of the song, but there’s a clear focus on what it’s doing sonically here. The music and vocal tricks are really good, and it makes for a, for lack of a better term, groovy song.

Score: 8.3/10

“American Girls”

If “Aperture” was a shift into something a little more dance-floor centric, then “American Girls” is a pivot right back to some familiar beats for Styles. There’s a piano present as well as some guitar mixing in with the funk and drums.

Score: 8.5/10

“Ready, Steady, Go!”

If there was a song that felt like it could be on his original self-titled album, it’s “Ready, Steady, Go!” The bass guitar feels right at home there, although it softens a bit at points and gives way to the dance-fueled theme that will come to define Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.

Score: 7/10

“Are You Listening Yet?”

Fittingly, this feels like the first track that Styles really wants his lyrics and vocals to be the standout, as if he’s asking the audience if they’re actually going to listen to what he’s saying this time. There’s a freneticism present in the verses that help propel the track forward in an energetic way even without the upbeat instruments being present.

Score: 8.1/10

“Taste Back”

The lyrics here, which are sung in an almost ethereal way with bright instrumentals backing, talk a whole lot about needing a little bit of love. Harry Styles is usually not out of a relationship and he’s currently with Zoe Kravitz, but he has plenty of experience to draw from, and it feels like he’s telling us as well as himself that he just needs a little love.

Score: 8/10

“The Waiting Game”

The breeziest track on the entire album, “The Waiting Game” feels almost a little bit out of place. There are some nice platitudes about not waiting around for things, but the production’s a little too sleepy for this track to stand out.

Score: 7/10

“Season 2 Weight Loss”

“Season 2 Weight Loss” strikes a wonderful balance between the instrumentals and vocals. There’s a stretch at the 1:00 minute mark that is among the best things on the entire album, and fortunately, it repeats since it is the chorus. It’s got intimate lyrics, backing piano, and a steady beat to really get in your ear and stay there.

Score: 8.6/10

“Coming Up Roses”

As someone who’s family members play classical instruments, I appreciated the opening tune-up at the beginning of “Coming Up Roses.” What ensues is the most intimate song, with lyrics about love struggles and the feeling that this love is destined to fail and it’s too good to be true. The production is fairly sleepy, but it’s intentional here, and the lyricism is so good that it makes up for it.

Score: 8/10

“Pop”

The standout of the album is “Pop.” There’s a steady build-up to the chorus that works so well. The come-down after the chorus that once again begins steadily building creates a nice cyclical nature for the song. By the end, when things have built back up to a level that is impossible to come back down from (after a brief instrumental lull), you don’t want the song to end.

Score: 9.5/10

“Dance No More”

Harry Styles just wishes DJs would be more into their work, instead of sitting back and taking a more casual approach to the art. That’s a nice sentiment, but it’s buried within a song that tries admirably but can’t quite capture the retro funk style it’s aiming for.

Score: 7.1/10

“Paint By Numbers”

Growing up is hard, and it’s something every person can relate to. For the first time, Styles seems to be reckoning with his wild, chaotic, and potentially somewhat damaging relationship with Olivia Wilde, referencing directly her kids with Jason Sudeikis. It’s not rare for Styles to be so intimate, but it’s somewhat rare for him to be so detailed about it.

Score: 7.6/10

“Carla’s Song”

The finisher to the album is fittingly back uptempo. Much like “Pop”, there’s a slow build that works really well, with Styles upping the instrumentals as he works towards a conclusion that feels like it’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

Score: 9.5/10

Conclusion

This may not be Harry Styles’ best album. In fact, it might be his worst, and after coming off perhaps his best with Harry’s House, that might be a little disappointing. But the bar for his work is so high that even his worst album is quite good.

It’s important, too, as it represents Styles’ unwillingness to stagnate and not at least try to evolve. Fans might be disappointed that he seemingly ditched rock so early on and won’t return even though he’s quite good at it. He also could’ve just played it safe with another pop album the same brand as his Grammy-winning outing four years ago.

But as an artist, that’s not going to last. It’s a little unfortunate that musicians are forced to evolve in ways other artists aren’t, but it’s kind of the nature of music. There are just eight notes to play with, so doing new things with those eight notes keeps them relevant, exciting, and interesting. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait four years for the next album this time.

Score: 8.11/10