Harry Styles’s ‘Aperture’ Tops Charts, Heralds New Album ‘Kiss All the Time’

Harry Styles has begun a new chapter in his music career with the release of “Aperture” as the first single from his upcoming album, Kiss All the Time. The track represents yet another stylistic change in Styles' solo career and continues the trend of his evolution since he left One Direction almost 10 years ago.

“Aperture” debuted at No. 1 across multiple UK and global tallies and currently appears on four Official UK charts: Singles, Streaming, Sales, and Downloads. Meanwhile, “As It Was” remains on the Official Singles Chart. After briefly returning to No. 28, the global hit slipped from the top 40 and now sits at No. 42. The single has charted for two years, placing it among a rare class of enduring hits.

The longevity of “As It Was” places Styles alongside other long-charting artists such as Noah Kahan, Benson Boone, and The Killers, whose tracks have demonstrated unusual staying power on the Official Singles Chart.

In discussing the track's ambition, critic Rob Sheffield observes, “It says a lot about Harry's musical ambition,” Sheffield says, “that you can make people think of Leonard Cohen in this really electro song about hitting the dance floor.”

A central lyrical image in “Aperture” echoes a well-known Leonard Cohen line about light entering through broken places, reinforcing the artistic scope behind the dance-driven production. Sonically, the single nods to Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Chicago house, Detroit techno, and LCD Soundsystem.

Styles's catalog has moved from Brit-pop and classic rock influences in his early solo work to Laurel Canyon textures and Eighties-inspired uptempo experimentation. 

With “Aperture,” he embraces a collective voice on the dance floor, suggesting unity while further distancing himself from imitators. His four-year mainstream hiatus, rather than dimming his impact, appears to have reinforced a reputation for ignoring trends and setting them instead.