After four long years of silence, random sightings (from being spotted at the announcement of the new pope to running marathons), and fans overanalyzing his every move in hopes for new music, Harry Styles has finally ended the drought. With the release of his new single, “Aperture”, Styles is officially entering a new era, completely different from anything he’s done before—and the internet has not been calm about it.
“Aperture”: My Thoughts vs. the Internet’s
Before the song had even come out, comments from fans who were able to listen to the single early were made, comparing the song to something that Charli XCX would release. Honestly, after listening to the song myself, I can’t say I completely see where that opinion comes from but I do understand that the synthetic beats and electropop feel are something that’s become heavily associated with Charli XCX. The track is very unlike anything Harry has ever released before, leaning heavily into electropop with a synthetic feel, a far different direction from the soft rock sound that many fans (myself included) fell in love with from HS1.
I have to admit, at first listen, I wasn’t entirely sure what my thoughts were, but after a few listens it definitely grew on me. The repetition of ‘We belong together’ feels like something I’d have playing on a late night drive with my hair flowing through the wind (as corny and cliche as that might sound). Many have compared “Aperture” to Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”, Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”, and even hints of his own song “Grapejuice.” I know some fans weren’t thrilled about Styles’ venture into this new genre of synthetic beats and technopop, but I personally really enjoy his experimentation with a genre he’s never tried before. It’s a new era, a new genre which I think he did incredibly well with, and I’m definitely anticipating the release of this new album just in time before summer.
the music video
Honestly, I was kind of lost when watching the music video but in an entirely good way. After rewatching it a few times, I still wasn’t entirely sure of the theme or what the video was trying to hint at. One reddit user interpreted the music video as “Harry falling out of love with music,” and the video being a metaphor for him finding his way back into it, with the man following him representing the “positive experience he was supposed to have in being an artist,” but the experience was truly intimidating causing him to run from it. In this sense, the man chasing him might represent Harry trying to escape “expectation, pressure, and the version of himself that the world demands.”
I really like this interpretation, especially given Harry’s whole career has been followed by unrealistic fan and media expectations of him as well as prying their way into his personal life—who he’s dating, where he’s at, and his personal endeavors. It makes sense that the love for creating art would die down a bit when it’s followed by expectations of what people think you should create. Especially when your audience blurs the lines between admiring your work as an artist and believing they have a say in what you do in your personal life.
His initial reaction to run from the man eventually turning into a dance number where he’s seen to be flying could represent his initial fight or flight response to run from the fear, eventually turning into acceptance and learning to live with it and embracing the “joy and magic of being an audience member.” No matter what the true meaning of the music video is, I really enjoyed the filmography and getting a look into Harry’s creative identity.
“We Belong Together” Well… Apparently Not
I’m trying to remain neutral, but I can’t lie, 30 shows at Madison Square Garden is genuinely outrageous. My roommate and I saw the tour locations and genuinely went into a mourning period of what could have been. The internet could be found pointing out the irony in the main promotion of the album being “We Belong Together” yet he’s only touring 7 cities, and it feels like many fans are doing a tour to see him rather than the other way around. Not only that but ticket prices were outrageous. It’s sort of hard not to be frustrated when the average fan feels like there’s no way for them to attend this tour. I’ve seen some fans speculate that this is just the 2026 residency tour and hopefully he’s adding dates for 2027, and for my own sanity, I hope that’s true. If not, then I suppose New York will be seeing me after all.