Wednesday, January 21, a cold and snowy day in Toronto. Despite the weather, a line began forming outside the record store Sonic Boom at around noon. The line was buzzing with excitement, familiar songs were being played through speakers, snacks were being passed around, and pieces of merch were given out. 

I joined the line at around 4:30 p.m. I could feel the energy in the space, the anticipation, but also a familiarity. We were all eagerly waiting to hear the new Harry Styles single “Aperture” from his upcoming album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. This single marks new Harry Styles music for the first time in nearly 4 years, with his last release being the 2022 album, Harry’s House. 

Toronto was one of eleven cities worldwide which hosted an Aperture First Listen fan event, and the fans truly showed up. Hushed excitement could be felt as I walked into the store. We turned in our phones to be sealed away, and headphones were passed around. As the first few notes of the song began to play, I made eye contact with other fans in the room, realizing that we were about to listen to the new Harry Styles music. The familiarity of the community settling in. 

The first few notes made it clear that this was a new sound for Styles, soft-electric pop characterized by different synths. A jerky beat pulsates through the verses and chorus. This is a song that demands to be danced to. The warbling synths and repeated lyrics, specifically the refrain of “We belong together,” invite Styles’ fans to come back and dance. 

After his hiatus from music, this song felt like it was for the fans and not just a radio hit. The song’s marketing consisted of posters with pictures of his fans during his last tour. The callbacks and mirrored lyrics from previous songs, “Aperture lets the light in,” mirror the lyrics from “Lights Up,” a song from his 2019 album Fine Line: “All the lights couldn’t put out the dark / Runnin’ through my heart.” 

“Dance halls, another cadence” goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics, “Kids in the kitchen listen to dance hall” from the song “Sunflower, vol. 6.” The song evokes feelings of loud nights on the dance floor, late-night drives with the windows down, and a concert pit shouting the lyrics and dancing along with other fans.“We belong together,” Styles repeats in the chorus, emphasizing the relationship between the singer and fans. The environment of the listening party reestablished that connection and community between the fans and the singer. 

Styles’ last album cycle and tour, affectionately named “Harry Styles Love On Tour,” was characterized by fan interaction and connection. Through multiple fan events, listening parties, and the concerts themselves, a community was built. 

Standing in line for the “Aperture” listening party brought back that community. Meeting new fans in line, bonding over songs and concert experiences, hearing the song and dancing along to it for the first time, together. “We belong together,” Styles echoes, setting the stage for a new era of music that invites his fans back in.