Harry Styles’ fourth album has been released, and since March 6, 2026, I’ve had time to emotionally digest and fully dissect it. In 2023, when his break started, many fans believed this was the end. There were many times when we gaslighted ourselves into believing he would randomly release music, even when he was on random sidequests: in the Vatican for the Pope announcement, running a marathon, and parallel parking a fan’s car. In an Interview with John Mayer for Sirius XM, Harry told John he took his break in hopes of focusing on his personal life and coming to terms with his fame. Styles said, “The corners just start coming in, whether it’s the people you trust or your friendship circles get slightly smaller over time, just as people do when they grow up. I think for me, the last kind of couple of years was just about opening back up.”
EXPECTATIONS
Harry is famously known for his songs about various fruits; my initial expectation was that some kind of fruit would be involved. The fact that there were no fruit references set me in a downward spiral. When the title of the album was announced, the name “Kiss All Time. Disco, Occasionally” I like many assumed that it would be somewhat of a disco album. Listening to the album now, the title does make more sense. There are a few songs that give off that disco energy, while others are more ballad style, giving it a romantic feeling. I took a deep dive into some of my favorite tracks and ordered them by preference
THE WAITING GAME
“The Waiting Game” is a ballad-like song Harry wrote in Italy about how people behave. I mainly interpreted the song as addressing those moments in life when you want someone to change and be better, yet they constantly treat you badly. Waiting for someone to change, yet it never occurs. The lyrics “ you try, and you always justify playing the waiting game when it all adds up to nothing”. Playing the waiting game amounts to nothing, as the song’s powerful lyric suggests, because it summarizes the idea of wasting time waiting for something that will never come.
This song became my favorite at first listen. I usually gravitate to ballad-style songs, so it was understandable for this to be my top song. This song quickly became my favorite on the album after a Heated Rivalry edit caught my attention and helped me grasp the song’s concept.
Watch it here. As years went by, Shane and Ilya continued to wait for each other. They both remained spectating their lives rather than changing for one another out of fear. They had a lingering feeling that they refused to fully admit, demonstrating that waiting cycle this song describes.
COMING UP ROSES
The first time I heard this song, I sobbed, and that’s no exaggeration. Coming up Roses is about relationships that are amazing, and for whatever reason, things just don’t work out. When a relationship ends, whether good or bad, there’s always a lesson that can be learned; that’s what this song focuses on. Initially, Styles said he wrote the song with the intention of creating a Christmas song. What started as a Christmas song has become the beautiful ballad it is now. Now I not only need a Harry Christmas song but a whole album.
Harry said to Zane Lowe for Apple Music, “ For me, it’s a love song about how special something can be- and not everything has to last forever in order to be special. I think some of the greatest relationships in your life that teach you something don’t last forever, you know?”. Initially on my first listen I assumed it was a love song about someone. In some ways it is a love song but, not about a person but the experience, lessons, and memories you have with them.
APERTURE
The first song in the album “Aperture” truly embodies the album. The word “aperture” means “opening”. In some cases, aperture is used to reference the opening of a camera lens. The song is about finding peace and acceptance, and this can be inferred as he says in the pre-chorus, ‘aperture lets the light in’.
The music video translates this idea to viewers. The mysterious man in the music video represents his anxieties and fears. As he runs, the man continues attacking him until he finally stops, signifying his acceptance.
AMERICAN GIRLS
American Girls is one of those sad songs with upbeat notes. The song mainly touches on the fact that he was growing older, and he saw a few of his friends getting married and having families. Seeing his friends live their lives while he questioned what he really wanted for himself in the future. Styles said in an interview with Zane Lowe, “ It just allowed me to go like, ‘Ok, what do I have to do to create space to allow these things to happen? I can’t just expect them to happen to me.”
The music video shows Harry filming close-ups, while stunt doubles handle the dangerous scenes. This implies that, much like his actual life, he is only observing rather than actively pursuing what he truly wants.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this album was everything I needed and more. It was an album with zero skips and totally worth the three-year wait. There’s a different level of vulnerability in this album that resonated deeply with me, and I’m sure many others. Even some of the more upbeat songs had deeper meanings in the lyrics. As one of Harry’s biggest fans, the album is a 10000/10!! The songs “Pop”, “Dance No More”, “Are You Listening Yet?”, and “Ready, Steady, Go!” are some of the more upbeat songs that I would recommend to those who like upbeat songs. All the songs on this album are great; these were just my top four. I can’t wait to see what HS5 has in store.