Harry Styles: "Aperture"

"On a crowded dancefloor, where illicit substances, pheromones, and hypnotic beats blur, it's hard to tell if it's the drugs or the person standing in front of you that's making you euphoric. "I'm going on clean," Harry Styles repeats in the first verse of "Aperture," the first single from Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., after admitting that he falls quickly when under the influence."

"The new album, Styles says, was inspired in part by seeing LCD Soundsystem perform, and the "Aperture" instrumental is purely MPC-a synth that drones, a synth that glitches, and a bassline pulse. It's a stark departure from the acoustic guitar plucks and somber piano strokes heard across Styles' three prior albums. Throughout his nearly two-year Love On Tour, Styles' live band became part of his showman persona; their absence heightens the song's melancholy and intimacy."

"The payoff in the back half of this track isn't quite as rewarding as, say, the gospel-esque final act of "Lights Up." The chorus of "We belong together" in "Aperture" even sounds a bit defeated, like fifth-graders in choir class. Kid Harpoon's accelerating synths, streaking like laser lights, carry a lot of the emotional lift, counterbalancing Styles' subdued delivery. He's 32 now and haunted by how fast time is passing: "Time won't wait on me," he muses, "I wanna know what safe is.""

Aperture is a five-minute slow-burn single that contrasts euphoric dancefloor environments with sober romantic intention, beginning with the lyric "I'm going on clean" and admitting susceptibility to falling quickly under influence. The instrumental centers on MPC-a synth textures and a pulsing bassline, marking a departure from acoustic guitar and somber piano of prior albums. The absence of Styles' touring live band increases melancholy and intimacy. Kid Harpoon's accelerating synths provide emotional lift while Styles delivers subdued vocals and questioned safety. The song frames maturity and the passing of time, with the narrator confronting desire, endurance, and the cost of honesty in love.

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