On March 6th, 2026, Harry Styles released his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, or KATTDO if you’re a true Styler. Harry’s first three albums included a broad range of genres, containing themes of soft rock, pop, Britpop, and synth pop. However, his newest venture seems to diverge from his typical sound with the 12-track album being almost entirely composed of dance-pop, disco-funk and techno music.
This drastic shift in style has raised some controversy among fans. While some fans who have become accustomed to his sad, more mellow songs have voiced frustration, others have embraced the new album and all the new, exciting, and upbeat changes it brings to Styles’ music.
The buildup for Styles’ release of a new album was excruciatingly long as for four years fans waited, dying to hear new music. Then, in late December of 2025, he posted a video on Youtube titled “Forever Forever,” sending fans spiraling. Later, in January of 2026, fans started noticing signs and billboards with the phrase “We Belong Together” all over cities such as New York, Rome, and London. Finally, on January 15th he announced the release of KATTDO and soon after released the first single of the album, “Aperture.” After hearing this song, fans started to piece together that the album would have a lot more techno and disco than anticipated. When released, the album cover contributed to these theories, featuring sunglasses-clad Harry under a shining disco ball.
Ellis Stanley (‘28) noted that she “like[s] how it’s different… I’m happy that it’s not all sad songs and kind of more upbeat so it’s a good album to listen to while I’m getting ready or going on a run.” When asked what her initial reactions were when first listening to “Aperture” and the whole album when it eventually came out, Stanley commented that she “was definitely shocked. At first I felt like I wasn’t going to love it, but as time went on I’ve definitely been listening to it more and more.”
On the contrary, not all Harry fans, especially those who appreciate his old style of music more, are big fans of this venture. Stanley echoed this idea, mentioning that “I think some people might not like the album because they’re so used to sad songs by him. I feel like people have expectations of an artist when they’ve created so many songs but you always have to give something a try.”
While everyone may not be supportive of this new era, it is fair to note that not all artists stick to the same genre of music in their entire discography. Taylor Swift has explored over six genres of music in her discography, including country, folk, rock, synth, pop, techno, and even R&B. Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally proves that artists’ sounds evolve as they continue to spend more time making music. This album in particular highlights that it can be fun to listen to and explore different genres of music, even if it means deviating from your typical taste.
