After waiting a very long three years, the release of Harry Styles’ new single marks a new era that his fans have been craving and waiting patiently for. Following the promotion and world tour of his third album, “Harry’s House,” Styles had gone into hiding and let the excitement for new music, a new tour and his overall return build up. And that time has come! Styles has finally returned with the release of new music and the lead single for his well-anticipated album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” 

The new single, titled “Aperture,” is a five-minute feel-good song that encourages the listener to let loose and lose themself in the music. Different from anything we’ve heard from him before, this song has a dancefloor, upbeat vibe that signals a new era for Styles, both stylistically and musically. 

Sonically, “Aperture” departs from much of Styles’ previous work. His debut album, “Harry Styles,” had a soft-rock sound that was catchy and iconic, but he played it safe. Then, with “Fine Line,” we saw Styles explore the greater genre of pop and some acoustic sounds. More recently, “Harry’s House” explored some of the creativity that his fans were craving, with a broader sound and vibe of music. 

At the start, “Aperture” draws on energetic and bold, technically advanced sounds. He takes it slow, not rushing into the lyrics, and really lets the beat tell the story of the song. This single, being five minutes long, allows the listener to fully immerse themselves in the music before the lyrics even start.

As Styles even said himself, he was inspired by LCD Soundsystem. “When you’re kind of watching them be so like immersed in it, I was, I think the inspiration from them came of like, ‘oh, that’s how I want to feel when I’m on stage’. And then that kind of led to the kind of music I was making,” Styles said in a recent interview. This song is clearly built for movement, large crowds, and rooms full of happiness. 

Lyrically, this song is not very different from Styles’ previous work, which explores themes of love, acceptance, and being around the people you love. Similar to what we’ve seen before, Styles emphasizes the message of his songs through repetitive and catchy lyrics, such as “we belong together,” which is also being used as a lead marketing tactic for his upcoming album and tour. 

“Aperture” has many of the elements that his fans have been craving, with many die-hard fans predicting that this album will be very disco-forward (hence the name) with 1970s/80s influences. However, rather than fully jumping into the realm of disco, I predict that Styles’ new album will be pop-focused with an element of danceable and evolving sounds that allow him to explore a new genre without diving headfirst into it. 

Excitement and expectations for this album are high, and I am excited to see where this album leads Styles!