It has been four long years without Harry Styles. His last album, “Harry’s House,” released on May 20th, 2022, was a commercial success. It spent two weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. 

However, the album received a lukewarm response. Critics noted the album lacked innovation and deemed it another bland pop album.

Despite the criticism, “Harry’s House” won Album Of The Year at the 2023 Grammys. Winning over albums like “Renaissance” by Beyonce, “Un Verano Sin Ti” by Bad Bunny, and “Mr Morale & The Big Steppers” by Kendrick Lamar.

As someone who mostly listens to a lot of Rap/R&B, Styles is one of the few pop artists whose music I’ve enjoyed over the years. He has a solid catalog of pop songs, ranging from his work with One Direction to his solo career.

However, albums with great tracks don’t always correlate to great albums, which is why Styles consistently gets lukewarm scores in his albums.

During his three-year hiatus, many artists have tried to take Styles’ spot in the pop music scene.  

After what felt like forever, on January 15th, 2026, Styles finally announced his fourth studio album titled “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” (KATTDO) to drop on March 6th, 2026.

Styles went on to drop the lead single, “Aperture,” a week later, serving as the first song on the tracklist. The song was around five minutes long, and compared to “As It Was,” it didn’t sound like the upbeat and energetic single I was expecting. 

That is not entirely a bad thing – I still found it to be a good song, well-produced, with a great chorus and good pacing for its length.

In comparison to an album like Harry’s House, it does showcase a few shortcomings.

When compared to past albums, KATTDO sounded more melancholic in comparison, while Harry’s House felt lively and optimistic. 

Harry’s House screamed of a man more hopeful and happy in his life, while KATTDO sounded like a man who might’ve traversed some life turbulence and is trying to keep his head up through hardship.

It can be noted that events that happened in Styles’s life impacted the release date and sound of this album. On October 16th, 2024, Styles lost his close friend, Liam Payne.

In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Styles said the death of Payne made him live life more.

“It was a really important moment for me, in terms of looking at my life, and being able to say to myself, like ‘Okay, what do I wanna do with my life? How do I want to live my life?” Styles recalled. “And, I think, the greatest way you can honor your friends who passed away is by living your life to the fullest.”

The album wasn’t going to be the happiest album Styles had ever released, and it is interesting to hear the artist try to give the divisive audience what they want. The One Direction singer tried to give the fandom both upbeat and somber songs. 

Songs like “Pop” and “Dance No More” are great with solid production, catchy hooks, and a sense of fun that I could have used more of.

Other songs on the tracklist, like “Ready, Steady, Go!” and “Are You Listening Yet?”, are energetic, but to me they feel like copy-and-paste versions of past music. They aren’t groundbreaking tracks. 

Besides those songs, the rest of the album is filled with songs that lack energy. “American Girls,” “The Waiting Game,” “Season 2 Weight Loss,” and “Coming Up Roses” are solid songs that show that Harry can keep a song engaging without the obvious pop elements that make up some of his biggest singles.

One of the main issues with this album is that it isn’t cohesive. 

Harry’s House felt like a project where every aspect of it, from the music to the cover, felt like it fit together. KATTDO, as I’ve already mentioned, feels like two very different moods- it feels like an experimental album. 

While some may argue that this album deviates from that formula a bit, I think it makes for an interesting listen.

Overall, I enjoyed “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” I’ve always appreciated Style’s gentle nature that he puts into his tracks. He has a talent for good pop melodies and has a solid singing voice.

I would rate this album 3/5 stars. It was an interesting listening experience, considering the fact that the album feels experimental, it is hard to give it a high appraisal.