Famous foxy guy Harry Styles is just starting the rollout for his feverishly anticipated, obnoxiously titled new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, which drops in a month and a half and which includes an absolutely ridiculous 30-night Madison Square Garden residency with Jamie xx. Last night, Styles shared lead single "Aperture," an honestly pretty sick slow-buildup dance-pop jam. Now that it's out, Styles is starting to talk about the album, and he says that his new sound was inspired by, among other things, LCD Soundsystem's live show.
Last night, Styles a few brief radio interviews, and his first was with BBC Radio 1. In interviews, Styles tends to speak in vague, misty aphorisms, and that's mostly what he did when describing Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. Styles says that the album is based in "just classic pop songwriting" but that it's also influenced by his time going out dancing in years that he has taken between album cycles. Styles says that he had to learn to "be a real audience member" after all his years as an ultra-famous performer.
Thankfully, Styles also offered up a few specifics, and Radio 1's Greg James got very excited when he mentioned going to a few LCD Soundsystem live shows. Styles said, " It's so joyous when you're watching them be so immersed in it. The inspiration from them came of, like, 'Oh, that's how I wanna feel when I'm onstage,' and that led to the kind of music I was making."
Styles also says that his time going out dancing dovetailed nicely with his longtime collaborator Kid Harpoon getting into modular synths, and he mentions that he's been listening to new wave impressionists Durutti Column "and stuff like that."
With respect to the meaning of the album title, Styles offers this: "I think you could say oh, you know, 'drink water all the time, but you're going to have to pee occasionally.' You don't necessarily keep drinking. You can have a break from kissing if you want, or you could also drink water while peeing. I think it's kind of optional. I think the idea is you take a break from kissing to disco." Fantastic. Clears up everything.
Outside of the new album, Styles says how he ended up at the announcement of the new Pope: "I was getting a haircut in Rome... I was like, 'Oh, I'm five minutes' walk from there,' so I walked over there.' It was wild." What a storyteller.
Styles has also kept himself busy doing Zoom interviews with Capital FM and SiriusXM, repeating his talking points about falling back in love with music blah blah blah.
Styles can say whatever he wants; all I care is that he's finally making interesting music. Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is out 3/6 on Erskine/Columbia.
