The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
For the past few years, the music industry has been dominated by female artists. With pop princesses like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Sabrina Carpenter all releasing music in the past year, pop fans have been patiently waiting for the return of pop prince Harry Styles. Even with strong contenders like Conan Gray and Benson Boone, nothing could replace the Styles-shaped hole audiences were yearning for. Luckily, after spending four years away from releasing music, Styles released his fourth studio album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
Popping Between Genres
Styles took a drastic—but successful—leap into a new sound with this record, leaning heavily into a dance/electronic sound over his usual bedroom pop sound. Styles has always been my favorite artist for upbeat, poppy music and this change to disco is very encouraged. This new sound is so funky, in the best way. “Pop” and “Dance No More” are so addicting to listen to, this genre really suits Styles. “American Girls” and “Taste Back” are the closest tracks to sounds like his old work, intertwining both old and new into a few tracks on the album. They make for some really standout songs.
Ballads are always hit or miss for me, especially with Styles’ music. His older ballads hit a lot harder for me, and it still rings true. The writing on “Coming Up Roses” is beautiful, but it feels a bit out of place on the album sound-wise. Similarly, “Paint By Numbers” is my least favorite song on the album. Being put in between two songs with faster tempos, it sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn’t hit as hard if it were placed somewhere else, or on a completely different album. Thematically, both songs make sense for the record; however, I don’t see myself revisiting those tracks as often.
Mediocre Writing, Occasionally
The themes of the album are very striking throughout, but Styles struggles a bit with the writing on this record. He writes a lot about the way he’s perceived as a musician versus the way he sees himself; it’s very introspective. Styles normally has a lot of fun with his writing—“Keep Driving” on Harry’s House and “Watermelon Sugar” on Fine Line are great examples—but in this album, some of the peculiar writing drags the music down. “The Waiting Game” has some fantastic writing, but lines like “and you apologize, a dirty clown” come out of left field and don’t add much to the song. It doesn’t ruin the entire song, but it does make me raise an eyebrow anytime I get to some so-so writing within the album.
Styles balances some of the less-than-writing with very deep and introspective lyrics. “Carla’s Song,” while repetitive, provides some very beautiful lyrics. “It’s all waiting there for you,” and “I know what you like, you can hear it anytime” is amazing writing for a closing track. It punches up exactly what Styles expresses throughout the album: If you look past the way you’re perceived, you can create a better life for yourself. Being thrust into the spotlight at 16 when One Direction was formed, Styles has a lot of feelings about being in the limelight, and even with some dodgy writing, the themes shine through and give a special glimpse into his personal life.
It’s All Waiting There for You
Stepping into a new genre is a big feat for an artist, and Styles proved himself worthy with Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. Even with some misses on the album, Styles came back stronger than ever after a few-year gap between releases. With the start of the Together, Together coming this summer, this album is set to have a long and healthy run.
Sources: Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify
Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or on Instagram @sjasionowski.
