HARRY STYLES: Aperture (Columbia)
Verdict: Harry hits the dancefloor [4 stars]
We are still only in January, but Harry Styles is already standing astride the pop world of 2026 like a Colossus.
As Britain’s biggest male pop star, the former One Direction pin-up looks set to dictate the musical agenda in much the same way as Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour was the landmark event of 2024 and Oasis’s live comeback the biggest story of 2025.
Last week, 31-year-old Styles confirmed he will shortly release his fourth album – the bafflingly-titled Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
This week he announced a 50-show, seven-city residency, including 30 gigs in New York’s Madison Square Garden, six at Wembley Stadium plus dates in Europe, Latin America and Australia, confirming his stature as one of the few UK stars with real global reach.
And today, with new single Aperture, he delivers his first new music in four years while hinting that his forthcoming album might be something of a departure.
We are still only in January, but Harry Styles is already standing astride the pop world of 2026 like a Colossus (pictured in 2023)
Today, with new single Aperture, he delivers his first new music in four years while hinting that his forthcoming album might be something of a departure
Having skipped between genres with his self-titled solo debut in 2017, he embraced radio-friendly pop on its 2019 sequel, Fine Line, and shimmering soft-rock on 2022’s Grammy-winning Harry’s House. Now, he wants us all to dance.
Aperture, produced by his regular collaborator Kid Harpoon, opens with a soft electronic pulse and builds up from there, with club-friendly house music piano coming in around the four-minute mark.
Shunning the TikTok generation’s desire for instant musical gratification, it’s a full 45 seconds before we hear Harry’s voice and over five minutes before the song reaches its conclusion.
‘Take no prisoners for me, I’m told you’re elevating,’ he sings, before telling us that his drinks ‘go straight to my knees’, an obvious call to trip the light fantastic.
The song then moves into a chorus that advocates further communal celebration. ‘We belong together,’ sings Harry – echoing a phrase that mysteriously appeared on billboards around the world in the run-up to last week’s album announcement.
Whether Kiss All The Time… will be a whole record of dance remains to be seen.
Styles has played by his own rules in the past, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he mixes it up again when the album arrives on March 6.
But Aperture is an intriguing taster: a grower rather than an out-and-out banger, it will no doubt go down a treat when he hits the road with his live band in May
This week he announced a 50-show, seven-city residency, including 30 gigs in New York’s Madison Square Garden, six at Wembley Stadium plus dates in Europe, Latin America and Australia, confirming his stature as one of the few UK stars with real global reach
But Aperture is an intriguing taster: a grower rather than an out-and-out banger, it will no doubt go down a treat when he hits the road with his live band in May.
During an appearance on Hits Radio the same day, Harry spoke about his upcoming tour.
He said: ‘It feels really exciting [to be back]. It got to a point where I’d finished the album, I was living with it for a while and it was like OK the music’s ready, I feel really excited about it.
‘I’m excited to play it to people and that felt like a really good reason for the timing to be right for putting it out.’
And talking about setting the stage – Harry was asked did he really ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.’
‘It’s a life mantra! It’s unhealthy to disco all the time so loving and moving through your life with love and then taking a break every now and again to have some fun is a really good way to approach your life,’ he said.
‘And I feel like that’s what I did for the last couple of years and it led to positive changes in my life so… You can probably stop [kissing] to eat and stuff – definitely an extended lunch break – and then right back to it… I spent a lot of time with Italians the last year or so and they’re kissing all the time so… it’s just art imitating life.’
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