Is Harry Styles Evolving? Or Regressing?
After almost 4 years of radio silence from British singer Harry Styles, he has officially returned. Almost a month ago, on January 22, 2026, Styles released “Aperture,” the lead single for his upcoming fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. As expected, the single immediately did well on the charts, both on the Billboard 100 and the Official UK Charts. I’ve given the single quite a few listens, and I can definitely say I enjoyed it. I’m very intrigued by the disco direction Styles is supposedly leaning into. Still, to my surprise, I didn’t immediately fall in love with the track as I’d expected. And interestingly enough, the critical reception seems to reflect a similar response.
Styles’ track takes a new direction for his work, but that’s not to say it is revolutionary. Writing for The Independent, Roisin O’Connor notes that the track “...owes plenty to Swedish pop icon Robyn – who will open for him during his residency in Amsterdam later this year – and to LCD Soundsystem, two masters of the delayed-gratification slow build.” “Aperture” definitely signals a departure from Styles’ pop-rock style, leaning more fully into an electro-pop feel. She mentions that when making the album, Styles was inspired by “...his determination to get out of…liminal spaces,” signaling back to the artwork and feel of his previous two albums Fine Line and Harry’s House. O’Connor also notes that “...artists like Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Rosalía have been…releasing songs that stray from traditional structure or form, and with themes that challenge and question. [And] Styles seems intent on joining them…
As Styles has left his post for quite some time, multiple other artists have come to take up the mantle, cementing their names and influence in the pop sphere and shaping the trajectory of the music we hear today. Dancepop has seemed to make its rounds a lot in recent years, especially with the 2024 cultural phenomenon of Charli XCX’s Brat Summer, the 2023 sleeper hit album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess from Chappell Roan, and Short n’ Sweet from Sabrina Carpenter. Artists have also taken big risks creatively, as seen with Rosalía, having gone from the hit experimental pop album Motomami to releasing Lux in November 2025, which received even more widespread critical acclaim for its significant departure from the previous album, such as the orchestral sound, and overall feat in production/lyrical composition.
So, it’s safe to say that Styles is making a purposeful separation from his old sound on this new track and album, and while critics' responses have been fairly positive, fan response has been more mixed. In a Rolling Stone article by Larisha Paul, Paul writes about Lindsay, a fan who was “...among the hundreds of fans who waited for more than three hours at New York’s Rough Trade record store to be among the first to hear the lead song from the musician’s upcoming album… ‘As soon as I heard his voice, I was crying so much,’ Lindsay tells Rolling Stone. ‘We’ve been waiting for years for his comeback.’” Lindsay later went on to say, “I’ve always admired him because he reminds me a lot of David Bowie. He’s just trying new stuff. It’s insane to watch him grow like that. I love it. We’re here for that.”
Harry Styles’ “Aperture” single listening party at Rough Trade Below in Rockefeller Center — GRIFFIN LOTZ FOR ROLLING STONE
On the other hand, when the single was officially released, one fan stated that “Harry's defining aesthetic is proving he can do something interesting, and then steadfastly REFUSING to actually be interesting…Aperture is just that again, a refusal to get weird or too dark or too moody.” Some fans say that it was an unmemorable, forgettable track, while others pointed out the lack of direction in the song (and in the music video). Others have stated that they wish Styles would return to the original sound he cultivated when he first went solo from One Direction; his self-titled debut album, Harry Styles, was where he began with his signature pop-rock music.
Now, how do I personally feel? As I said before, I had to give the track a couple of listens at first before I could fully get into it, and I don’t really love it. It’s enjoyable, but not riveting. I think many fans want different things from the artist, but no one person can achieve all those things at once. Going back to the old sound, whilst also being ambitious and trying a new variation in their music, is just impossible. And although I don’t want to say we should’ve forced Styles to return sooner, the gap he left behind seems far too wide. The pop music scheme has changed so much since he left, and it seems he’s desperately trying to keep up. I’m all for him giving a stab at the dancepop scene, but I can’t help but agree with the comment of how he wishes to push the envelope, without actually really moving the envelope that much.
In the Rolling Stone article, Lindsay had drawn comparisons between David Bowie and Harry Styles, which, to me personally, highlights another issue fans (and commentators alike) have. Styles has cited Freddie Mercury as one of his main influences when it comes to his artistry, and that has been a main topic of critique, with people on TikTok claiming that “Benson Boone is reheating Harry Styles nachos, who was reheating Freddie Mercury’s.” A seemingly nonsensical statement that just means that people often draw inspiration from others, in a less “fresh” or interesting way than the original. This can even be seen with the comparisons people drew with “Aperture” and Robyn/LCD Soundsystem.
Harry Styles at Coachella, 2022 - Getty Images
Nevertheless, I think if we think too hard about it, we can find ourselves in a catch-22: people always find inspiration from someone, and that someone most certainly found inspiration from someone else. I don’t want to fault Styles for his obvious inspiration of other artists, but where he falls flat for me (and other people) is his lack of willingness to get messy. I believe he’s found his sound, and his choice to change it, I think, will make for some interesting music. But if he really wants to make waves and depart from “liminal spaces,” I don’t think that requires a genre shift; it requires more so a lack of restraint melodically/lyrically. His production is very sound and layered, but a departure from his usual themes in music would really make waves.
Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is set to be released on March 6th, and taking into account plenty of hints straight from Styles that this album marks a major shift, I’m inclined to take him at his word. “Aperture,” while not a drastic departure, still signaled a clear step away from his earlier work. Ultimately, I think this album will follow the same path Styles takes when exploring a new sub-genre: a new sound built from familiar, worn elements.
It may sound harsh to already come in with lackluster expectations for the artist, especially after such a lengthy hiatus. But due to his past track record, I don’t think I’m completely off base here. Past criticisms for Fine Line and Harry’s House have been that his lyricism and musicality are “not all that well-written” and “pastiche-driven” (respectively). The criticisms remain consistent with this recent single, but even so, I am intrigued to see where this new direction takes us, and I will be tuning into the new album all the same.