Harry Styles // Aperture

A strobe lit soiree

★★★★☆ (4/5)

It’s been 3 years since boyband turned pop megastar Harry Styles released music. In the current landscape that can feel like an eternity as the prevalence of social media demands an almost constant stream of new music for novel “content”.

Over this break, fans speculated on what his fourth album would sound like as the previous releases had covered a broad range of styles from 70’s glam rock to synth-infused pop. When the start of 2026 came with the announcement of Styles' fourth album “Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally”, the speculation redoubled. With the new album art seemingly pointing towards Berlin inspired techno influences.

Fans did not have long to wait as “Aperture” was released on Friday 23rd January 2026. As it turned out, the electronic motif of the artwork was a good indicator of the music’s style, with the track breaks new ground for Styles as four on the floor drums, programmed synth loops and airy vocals build up something that is more in line with Barry Can’t Swim than “Fine Line”.

When everything on the track clicks, moody verses groove into an ethereal chorus that repeats “We belong together”, the sustained tempo of the song works with the fresh production to produce a track that is as at home in a strobe-lit rave as in a sunlight stadium.

It does run a little long, with not much variety to justify the five-minute length. However, this goes towards selling the stylistic shift that Styles is going for. In a post-BRAT world, it’s easy to reference Charli XCX when an artist more associated with pop dabbles in more electronic music. But it doesn’t seem fair to look at this track as trend chasing but more a natural evolution in line with what Styles himself relates to.

“Aperture” is an interesting lead single, seemingly not the expected immediate pop hit but more a statement of intent for an exciting new era from one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

Review By: Sam McNaughton