We Belong Together: Everything you can expect from Harry Styles’ upcoming song “Aperture”
“Congratulations on making it in“, is how we were greeted when we finally stepped foot into the Rough Trade located in Berlin Neukölln on Wednesday 21th January, 2026. No wonder as, despite the cold, hundreds of fans made a pilgrimage to the location. The fact that the location only being shared a couple hours before didn’t seem to have stopped fans as something huge was on the table: A chance to be one of the first to listen to Harry Styles' new single “Aperture“ a couple days before the official release on Friday.
After a hiatus of nearly three years following the conclusion of his highly successful Love On Tour in 2023 and lastly dropping his GRAMMY-winning album Harry's House in 2022, fans were eager for what the British popstar has to offer. Being spotted multiple times in Berlin (and Berghain) throughout the summer of last year and seemingly having bought an apartment in Germany's metropole, Styles was speculated to have imitated the David Bowie lifestyle, who back in the late 70‘s spent a few years in Berlin, where he recorded his infamous “Berlin-trilogy“ containing Low, Heroes & Lodger. Rumors go so far that Harry Styles even recorded some of the songs off his upcoming project Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. in the same studio as Bowie went to back in the day: Hansa Studios. The twelve-track long album is arriving in its entirety on March 6th, 2026, and that‘s when we will see if the rumors were true!
As the line outside of Rough Trade in Berlin started to form, the whispers for what can be expected got louder the closer the listening event in Berlin was set to start. What will it sound like? Will it be techno? Will it be pop? But something was clear: No matter what it was going to be, fans were excited. To calm fans down (and to warm them up), a small coffee-shop on a bike was set up to treat the waiting audience with a warm drink and a small snack to ease the excitement. When the clock hit 3pm, it was finally time for the first ten fans to enter the record store – now turned into a dancefloor – for a roughly five-minute silent disco as attendees were given headphones to ensure no leaks.
Now to the most interesting part: How can the song be described? Well, I would say experimental but still safe. Although you can‘t deny there might have been some techno-influences, it is still very much Harry Styles and very much pop. With Lyrics such as “No tricks left up my sleeve“ and the now infamous “Let the light in: We Belong Together“, which was previously plastered throughout cities around the world, one of the attendees captured the vibe of the song perfectly: Something that could be used at the end of a coming-of-age movie. A hopeful song! Something one could dance to! The long instrumental intro slowly evolves until a beat drops - similar to Ariana Grande‘s “Yes, And?“ as well as long outro certainly invites one to do so. And fans did: Some while holding hands, some while shedding a tear, but most with a big smile on their face.
You can‘t really picture how the song sounds? My first thought: Tame Impala: “Let It Happen“ or “The Less I Know The Better“ - as the synth-pop elements are undeniably similar.
“How Berlin does it sound?” one might wonder. Not very much – or at least not nearly as much as people were speculating. With “Aperture”, it appears as if Styles lingers for something new on an artistic level and after listening to the song, he seems to have organically found a new sound of his. You can’t really compare “Aperture” with anything the British singer has released previously, which makes you want to listen to the song on repeat in order just to be able to take in everything the song has to offer. And soon that will be possible.
“Aperture” will be out this Friday, January 23th 2026. Make sure to give it a listen.
WRITTEN BY
Andy
(Live) music is one of my biggest passions, which is why I enjoy exploring pop culture in my writings. From analyzing albums to reviewing concerts. I'm especially interested in fandom culture, which often comes through in my work.
