Harry Styles is Making Electronica Now??

Electronic music enthusiast Rowan Morrow reviews Harry Styles’ new single ‘Aperture’. 

Harry Styles, formerly of the boyband One Direction, has spent most of his solo career making competent and consistent – if a bit blandly commercial – radio pop. Out of the three albums he’s released so far, both his debut self-titled album and his 2022 effort Harry’s House reached number 1 in the UK. Fine Line (2019) made it to number 2 in the UK, but still topped the charts in several other countries. From an outside perspective, it seems like he has found the perfect sound and is going to make megabucks out of it forever. 

But I can see why Harry might be getting a little restless. To me, he’s never seemed quite at home in those flamboyant jumpsuits that are somehow a key component of his ‘brand’. Harry’s outfits are deliberately silly, not like the Benson Boone brand of glittery sincerity, but you do wonder if he misses wearing other clothes. A few years ago, it actually seemed like Harry was hoping to turn to acting… although this plan went a little sideways. His performances in Don’t Worry, Darling and My Policeman (both 2022) were widely panned, and he hasn’t had a feature role since.

Maybe what Harry needs is a new era! And that’s what he seems to be announcing with ‘Aperture’, released on January 22nd – the first single from his upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally (2026). 

‘Aperture’ opens with a stripped-back, gently pulsing electronic beat. It sounds convincingly like LCD Soundsystem – a sentence I never thought I’d be saying about Harry Styles. Daringly, for a pop artist, there’s no sign of lyrics until the 45-second mark. First, we’re given plenty of time to sink deeper into the uncertain embrace of that murky, enticing bassline. 

But the lyrics aren’t quite what I expected. The chorus “We belong together / It finally appears it’s only love” is euphoric feel-good stuff, miles away from the off-kilter melancholy of LCD Soundsystem. Harry loses his nerve a little with the minimalist production once we get further into the song – the spaceship-noises drum beat is too dense, distracting from that lovely bass. 

The bridge is promising, returning to the more muted tone, but it feels like it’s cut a little short.

I can’t help feeling that this song actually has too many lyrics in it, especially in the verses, which march promptly into the chorus without much breathing room. A bit of judicious instrumental would make everything a little more impactful, especially in a track where the musical textures should be the star of the show. But if your fans take pride in learning the words, I suppose you have to fill that lyric booklet. 

Fan response is another curious aspect of this switch-up. Is Harry alienating his core audience? Based on my highly biased tour of Instagram comments on his announcement for the single, opinions are mixed. Some fans are dismayed that Harry is making TECHNO! (I don’t think there is much risk of this track being played in Berghain.) One commenter wishes Harry would go back to his ‘rock roots’ (Was One Direction really a rock band?). It’s hard to please everyone, especially when your fanbase is rapidly growing up. The music video for ‘Aperture’ seems to comment on this tension – Harry is chased and tossed around by a figure who might represent his fanbase, but it ends in them turning joyous cartwheels together. The mixture of frustration and fondness is palpable. Like most big pop artists, Harry’s fanbase can be fickle, and they have big expectations of him, but there’s definitely some mutual love there. 

Overall, this is a fresh, exciting new move, and I’m really curious about the album. From an electronica perspective, ‘Aperture’ feels like dip-your-toe-in stuff, but that’s probably why this one is the first single – it’s a gentle introduction to some low-key electronic music that hopefully won’t overwhelm existing fans. It’s not the full disco just yet, but it’s a pretty good pre’s.

Words by Rowan Morrow