English singer and songwriter Styles released the studio albums Harry Styles (2017), Fine Line (2019), and Harry's House (2022) between 2017 and 2022, and promoted the last two with the 22-month Love On Tour until July 2023, after which he made sporadic public appearances. [2] He stated in August 2022 that he was working on ideas for a fourth album. He was speculated to have begun recording it after being sighted visiting London's RAK Studios in 2024. [3] [4] In May 2025, it was reported that Styles was living in Berlin and working on his fourth studio album. [5] The move to Berlin to "record a synthesiser-heavy album", with Styles "embracing big career pivots, and staying silent in between", drew comparisons to David Bowie's own move to Berlin to record his Berlin Trilogy. [6] After the album was announced, Styles revealed that the album was largely inspired by LCD Soundsystem, describing their music and live shows as "joyous". [7]
On 27 December 2025, Styles uploaded an eight-minute video to his YouTube channel, under the title "Forever, Forever", which included footage from the final show of his Love On Tour. [2] [8] It showcased him performing an original song composed for the concert and concluded with the phrase "We Belong Together". On 12 January 2026, posters displaying the phrase were discovered in various cities globally. These posters directed individuals to Styles's newly established interactive website, which subsequently redirected them to a text chat on WhatsApp. [9] Two days later, a voice memo of Styles mumbling "we belong together" was sent to fans through text. [10] On 15 January, Styles announced his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which was released on 6 March. [11] The lead single, "Aperture", was released on 22 January. [1] [12] It was produced by Kid Harpoon. [13] That same day, Styles announced Together, Together, a series of concert residencies in seven cities. [14] The album's track listing was revealed the following day. [15] He is also set to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester for a "one night only" concert on 6 March, the album's release date. [16]
Composition and recording
Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. was recorded between Berlin and London from 2024 to June of 2025. [3] [17] Styles co-wrote the album alongside Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, both of whom he has worked with throughout his solo career. Kid Harpoon produced all 12 tracks on the album, and Johnson has full and additional production credits on seven songs. The album features frequent collaboration with London-based group House Gospel Choir, with select members appearing on lead single "Aperture" as well as "Are You Listening Yet?", "Season 2 Weight Loss", "Pop", and "Dance No More". English singer Ellie Rowsell, the lead singer of English rock band Wolf Alice, contributes backing vocals to "Aperture", "Taste Back", and "Season 2 Weight Loss". The track "Coming Up Roses" features a live orchestral arrangement by English composer Jules Buckley. [18]
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 from nine critic scores. [19] HuffPost UK 's Daniel Welsh described the initial critic reception as "varying levels of positive", [30] while PA Media's Casey Cooper-Fiske described it as mixed. [31]
The Age Tom W. Clarke awarded four stars out of five, calling the album a brave departure from Styles's previous albums. [32] The Australian 's Geordie Gray awarded three stars out of five. He enthusiastically complimented the production and lightly complimented the songwriting, but criticised Styles's voice, which he believed was his biggest strength, for taking a back seat. Although he clarified that he didn't consider the album "bad", he believed that the album ultimately failed as a dance music album, writing that it lacked in fun moments and adopted the signifiers of various dance music styles without adopting any of their quirkiness. [33] BBC News's Mark Savage was impressed by the album's "funky" grooves. He felt Styles's vocals and "distant and disconnected" demeanor on several tracks were an "odd mismatch" with those grooves, but ultimately commended the "compellingly knotty" album as a brave departure from Styles's previous works. [34]
Billboard 's Jason Lipshutz thought the album was Styles's most mature yet and praised the cohesion of the track listing. [35] Clash 's Robin Murray awarded a score of eight out of ten, praising the "physical impactness" of the album and referring to the lyricism as "thrilling, but also empathetic." [36] Classic Pop 's John Earls awarded four-and-a-half stars out of five, complimenting the "maverick sonic choices" and emotive lyrics. [37] Consequence 's Paolo Ragusa awarded a B grade, writing that the album contained some of Styles's best songs but that it could have gone further in an "unhinged" direction. He also noted that the "ballad-adjacent" tracks did not fit well into the track listing. [20] DIY 's Emma Swann awarded four-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that Styles no longer seemed to be searching for his artistic identity, and praising the "excellent" album's "leftfield" sonic choices. [17] Euphoria's Athena Sobhan awarded five stars out of five, praising the experimentation relative to Styles's previous albums and writing that he "nails" the disco aesthetic. [38] Financial Times 's Ludovic Hunter-Tilney awarded three stars out of five. He enjoyed the album's "impressive" instrumentation and "audacious edge," but criticised Styles's vocals as "inadequately expressive"; he also felt the album lacked engaging lyrics and song structures. [21] Flood's Kyle Lemmon praised the emotive lyrics, which he felt were the centre of the album, and the "infectious" music. [39] The Guardian 's Alexis Petridis awarded three stars out of five. He commended the album's sonic cohesion and lack of trend-chasing, and felt that it was generally a pleasant listening experience, but criticised a lack of memorability and vague lyricism. [22]
British GQ 's Ben Allen felt the album's lyrics were more mature than on Styles's previous works. He also praised the musicality. [40] The Independent 's Roisin O'Connor awarded four stars out of five, praising the album as a musically playful and emotionally vulnerable experience; positively comparing it to Styles's previous album, which she found bland; and concluding that Styles has found his identity. [23] The Irish Times 's Ed Power awarded three stars out of five and called the album a "profoundly okayish" letdown, citing a lack of substance. However, he did commend Styles's attempt to evolve his sound. [24] JubileeCast's Timothy Yap awarded score of four out of five, praising the sonic cohesion, catchy hooks, and lyrical contrast between romance and melancholy. [41] The London Standard 's Maddy Mussen awarded four stars out of five, praising the production and playful tone, writing that "Aperture" is a "reverse Trojan horse" that does not accurately reflect the album's sound, which she describes as largely in line with his previous works, "just with a little more dance influence." She noted that the slower tracks were the weakest and let the album down. [42]
Music Week 's Ben Homewood wrote that the album was an improvement on Styles's strengths from previous works, listing choruses, lyrical introspection, quirkiness, and catchy melodies as examples. [43] New Musical Express 's Rhian Daly awarded four stars out of five, writing that Styles has grown past gossip-fuelled songwriting and "nailed" the ability to make personal songs that are not bogged down with minor details. He was also impressed by the album's "exploratory" and enveloping sound, though he found some tracks forgettable. [25] The Observer 's Kitty Empire called the album "fun" yet "confusing", praising Style's mature lyrics yet noting musical and thematic meandering. [44] Paste 's Matt Mitchell awarded a C grade and wrote that Styles feels like a guest on his own album, calling the vocals largely overprocessed or muted, the lyrics often boring and cringe-inducing, and the songs too reliant on electronics and effects. [26] Rolling Stone 's Joe Levy awarded four stars out of five, describing the album as "delightfully strange, often lovely, and consistently fascinating". [27] Rolling Stone UK 's Nick Reilly awarded four stars out of five, feeling frustrated by the "oblique" lyrics but writing that the music is "joyous" and "eclectic", calling the album "excellent". [45] The Telegraph 's Neil McCormick awarded three stars out of five, praising the "interesting and fun" sonics but criticising the vague lyrics and lack of substance, calling it "music that hints at big ideas and emotional depths without actually having either." [28] The Times 's Will Hodgkinson awarded four stars out of five, calling the album "musically deep and lyrically shallow" and praising the laid-back, fun atmosphere. [29] USA Today 's Melissa Ruggieri thought the album was quirky, writing: "Styles admirably dedicates himself to progressing, even if it doesn't mean gift-wrapped radio fodder." [46] Variety 's Jem Aswad praised Styles for taking a risk with the album's relaxed atmosphere. [47]
