Former One Direction members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson shared an exciting day on Jan. 23 as they announced new music set to release in the United Kingdom at 23 GMT. Styles released his new single “Aperture,” while Tomlinson debuted his latest album “How Did I Get Here?” Styles’ upcoming album “Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally” releases March 6, and will be supported by his “Together, Together” tour, while Tomlinson will hit the road for his “How Did I Get Here?” international tour.
In “Aperture,” Styles turns to abstract lyricism — imagery-driven, metaphorical writing that favors emotion over literal narrative — exploring themes of release and renewal. This approach allows him to gesture toward transformation without spelling it out, suggesting a newly discovered salvation, allowing love and light back into his life. In the pre-chorus, he references the title in singing about the beauty in embracing the unknown.
“It’s best you know what you don’t / Aperture lets the light in,” Styles sings.
The lyrics draw influence from Styles’ time in Berlin. In an interview with British radio station Capital, Styles said he spent his time there meeting people and exploring different kinds of music. After Styles’ intense, three-year stretch of touring for his previous album, this upcoming release was crafted to revive his motivation and passion for creating music. The result is an album that gives Styles room to step outside his comfortable sonic palette and experiment more freely. Following the pre-chorus, the chorus directly references the tour’s name, capturing Styles’ renewed feelings towards music.
“We belong together / It finally appears it’s only love,” Styles sings.
Styles’ last public appearance was on Feb. 28, 2023 as a performer at the Brit Awards — a sudden reentrace into the public scene from his long absence. This upcoming release will be Styles’ fourth studio album. His previous record “Harry’s House,” was released while Styles was still touring in support of his second album, “Fine Line” in 2022. Styles’ “Together, Together” tour will differ from the others as Styles will only visit seven cities, performing multi-night residencies in each. This limited structure makes it harder for fans to see him live, but despite this, an overwhelming number of fans have already signed up for presale access — possibly fueled by his lengthy hiatus.
Meanwhile for Tomlinson, “How Did I Get Here?” is his third studio album since his leave from One Direction in 2015. His previous albums, “Walls” and “Faith in the Future,” were released in Jan. 2020 and Nov. 2022. Tomlinson’s recent release also draws inspiration from a trip he took in Costa Rica, where he found more confidence in his sound.
Quickly tested by the timing of Styles’ release, Tomlinson told his fans on X, “[I’m g]oing to need your help over the next few days to cut through the noise. Time to give this record the moment it deserves!” Situations such as this highlight why Tomlinson may feel overshadowed. Both artists share a massive, overlapping fan base, and simultaneous announcements are prone to drawing comparisons. For Tomlinson — whose solo career has often unfolded in the shadow of Styles’ commercial momentum — the timing can feel like yet another uphill battle for visibility. That tension surfaces throughout his album, especially in the song “Imposter,” where he confronts feelings of being overlooked and questions his place in the industry.
“I think there’s a stranger in my bed / My heart’s beating faster,” Tomlinson sings. “I can’t get the feeling out of my head / That I am the imposter.”
Across the album’s tracks, heavy bass and funk-inspired pop-rock sound takes shape, nodding to island life through songs like “Lemonade” and “Sunflowers.” The tone shifts on “Jump The Gun” and “Broken Bones,” which explore the tensions of romance and the exhilaration of taking risks. The album then turns inward with a somber tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, who passed on Oct. 16, 2024.
Despite these solemn tones, songs like “Lemonade” consist of vibrant lyrics that illustrate Tomlinson’s shift toward a lighter, groove-driven aesthetic, using bright, catchy refrains to anchor the album’s summery pop-rock direction. The melody is similar to that of “Midnight Memories,” one of One Direction’s later songs, echoing its driving guitars and shout-along energy.
“She’s so bitter, she’s so sweet / Lemonade, Lemonade,” Tomlinson sings. “A little taste is all I need / Lemonade, Lemonade.”
The romantic tension rises in the third verse of the song “Jump the Gun,” where Tomlinson leans into the uncertainty and excitement of a relationship moving faster than expected. The track blends urgency with vulnerability, mirroring the album’s broader exploration of risk-taking and emotional openness.
“No time for sleeping when your dreams are wide awake / Is it too good to be true? Baby, I’m good either way / Is it too soon to love you?” Tomlinson sings.
Continuing on in the album, the chorus from the song “Dark To Light” reads as an ode to Liam Payne, who had been struggling with mental health and addiction before his death. This echoes the personal loss Tomlinson experienced when his sister Felicite Tomlinson passed away in 2019. Tomlinson frames the song as both a farewell and a plea — a hope that love, memory or a moment of clarity might have been enough to pull his friend back toward safety. The track emerges as one of the album’s most intimate moments, cutting though the record’s breezy, island-inspired warmth with a sudden stillness shaped by loss.
“I wish you could see how you look in my eyes / One more time / Would it make a difference?” Tomlinson sings. “Would it make you smile? / Could it bring you from dark to light?”
Altogether, Jan. 23 offered a glimpse into how far both artists have traveled since their One Direction days — Styles embracing openness and reinvention and Tomlinson navigating confidence, risk and grief with striking honesty. Their simultaneous releases highlight the different ways they’ve learned to carry the weight of their past while pushing toward something new. For longtime fans, it’s a reminder that their stories continue to unfold in parallel, even as they write them on their own terms.
Kathryn Lehman is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at kalehman@uci.edu
Edited by Riley Schnittger
