KISSCO: Harry Still Has It
On the night of July 22, 2023 in the RCF Arena of Italy, Harry Styles performed his final show for the infamous Love on Tour, a three year, culture shifting tour of a lifetime that changed fan culture forever. With 169 shows under his belt and an arsenal of glittery outfits to last him a lifetime, Harry Styles was on the top of the world. He had millions of fans entertained, rejuvenated with his colorful theatrics, charming personality, and effortlessly tousled hair. The world was at his fingertips.
But then, he left.
And coincidentally, the world litterally shifted on its axis. We were in no lack of entertainment, don’t get me wrong. The year 2024, a year into his hiatus, albums like Cowboy Carter, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Short and Sweet, Eternal Sunshine (robbed btw) and so many more works from female pop artists fed to the masses in the infamous Harry drought of 2024–2026. This trend of pop girlies shifting the music industries continued in his absences, Mans Best Friend was a divisive masterpiece, Midnight Sun’s a hidden gem still blowing up today, heck, even the possibly even more divisive Life of a Showgirl hit number 1. In a time like this, artists like Styles might wonder if he still has a place in the scene. Would his music still be well-received when hes been absent so long? Would the funky beats of Aperture be enough to distract us from his incredibly high ticket prices? (Sorry Harry, we can’t all be millionaires).
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I’ll admit. I went into this album a little hesitant. From an outsider perspective, our country is struggling, and this dude wants to charge 1,000$ for ticket prices? This album oughta be absolute perfection.
Needless to say, it was pretty dang close.
Harry Styles mixes the old with the new by using his recognizable wit and disco ball-esque locution, with a touch of global impact. “His music sounds like he traveled the world”, My mom, a Harry Styles fan since 2018 noted as it blasted in her Mozda. And I wholeheartedly agree, tracks like “Are you Listening yet” have beats I find reminiscent of Harlem jazz, and a lot of the tracks remind me of French pop songs I heard in class. It felt like classic Harry with a bit of MIKA, in a spunky, excited fashion.
The album as a whole feels like a cohesive setlist. The album starts chill, with songs that build up like waves then crash with an explosive chorus and pretty dang celestial vocals. “It feels like exploring the Legend of Zelda, but as an Animal Crossing Character” says me, Iona, who has 5 stars on my island so I’m pretty credible.
Overall, Kiss all the time, Disco Occasionally is a massive success. Harry Styles still has it, “it” being a unique artist voice, a flair for cinematic composition, and sonic consistency that adds a touch of magic to what’s been a gloomy start to 2026.
Not tha awards are everything, but it’s safe to say I’m excited to see this in the running for the 2026 Grammys cycle. I’m sure the global excitement for this album will only increase as more performances occur, the most catchy songs go viral on TikTok, and various trends are made to share the good feelings. Harry Styles has proven himself once again, but he certainly didn’t need 1000$ tickets to do it (I’m still butthurt, can you tell?).
