After three quiet years and countless fan theories, each even more delusional than the last, Harry Styles is back on the music scene — and he’s bringing the disco with him.
Jaws dropped everywhere on Jan. 15 when Styles unexpectedly announced the title and release date of his upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, along with the cover art. Soon after, as fans lost their minds at his bold return, Styles dropped the release date of his first single off the album, “Aperture,” out Jan. 22.
Over the years, Styles has cultivated an open and freeing sense of community within his fanbase and within his music itself. With acceptance and openness at his core as an artist, Styles put forth an intimate early-listening experience for fans. On Jan. 21, in select record stores across 11 global cities, fans were able to put on headphones and connect with fellow supporters as they experienced the new single together. This form of togetherness through music is the exact intention that seeps through Styles’ new song, “Aperture.”
In photography, the term “aperture” describes the opening of a camera that controls the amount of light that passes through. Styles uniquely turned it into a symbol of hope and release. This comparison is memorable in its cleverness; it alludes to the fact that, at the end of the day, we are the ones who control how our own light gets through to us. It’s up to us to lead with intention and purpose in order for goodness to reach us.
In the first 30 seconds of the song, we step onto the color-blocked floor of the discotheque. There’s a twinge of excitement that hits your chest as soon as you hear the first beat. With the deep introductory electronic hits mirroring the warmth of a heartbeat, they pave the way to really settle into the track’s energy. The musicality is pop-techno-disco all wrapped up in the optimistic feeling of a coming-of-age movie. Styles leans into the electronic-dance genre with confidence, and it’s an experimentation that feels like a natural progression for his artistry — there’s no cash grabbing or a trivial driving force; it’s an authentic exploration of his sound. He continues to weave in passion, fun and relentless freedom into the sonic stitches of every track he puts out, and “Aperture” is a fresh take on Styles’ musical pattern.
A contrast to the more recent half of Styles’ discography, “Aperture” is beat-driven, putting more emphasis on the atmospheric elements. It incorporates decade-inspired synth along with a touch of autotune in the verses, which is a new textural element that Styles has not completely utilized before. Moving out of the autotuned verses and into the vocal-layered pre-chorus, Styles conveys an array of emotions in these overlapping voices alone. At the forefront, there is his soft, grounding tone that has a stabilizing effect, then its alto companion and finally the passionate higher belt in the background that pushes the power of the lyrics: “It’s best you know / What you don’t / Aperture lets the light in.”
As the chorus swarms the song, there’s a certain glittery, ethereal quality to the electronic beats that both uplift you while simultaneously shoving you onto the dancefloor. Styles heartfully sings, “Aperture lets the light in / We belong together / It finally appears it’s only love,” and in our current world that has been fueled by division, these simple words hold more strength than ever before. Everyone is leading their own lives, but we are all on windy, looping paths that constantly and uncontrollably intersect. We, as human beings, co-exist; Trying to avoid or reject that fact will only cause head-on collisions. “We belong together” is the motto everyone should start chanting, and will hopefully be chanting together.
In his dream-filled tone, Styles shrugs with a smile as he sings, “It finally appears it’s only love,” because it really is only love. If we view love as a reflex and not a reservation, then the current heaviness that’s coating our world can be uplifted — one kind act at a time. As the track gives way to the bridge, Styles’ vocal tone deepens and levels out, turning slightly monotone, which naturally allows a space for reflection within both artist and listener. In his mantra-esque cadence, Styles hums out, “I won’t stray from it / I don’t know these spaces / Time won’t wait on me / I wanna know what safe is.” The newly added techno-beats have a piano-like quality to them, adding to the already expressive musical atmosphere. The song ends on the same set of airy, electronic beats as the beginning, giving the listener a comforting sense of satisfaction as they come down from their dance-infused high.
With “Aperture,” Harry Styles sets the tone for his upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, arriving March 6. It’s a tone that is already rooted in intention, movement and connection. This purpose of togetherness extends far beyond just one song, as Styles has already announced his 2026 global residency, Together, Together, a celebration of shared experience that includes an astounding 30 nights at Madison Square Garden alone, not including the other 6 cities. Styles’ next era isn’t revolved around chasing reinvention for its own sake, but about being open enough to let the light in – encouraging people to feel, dance and belong alongside one another.
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