Harry Styles’ new era begins Friday with “Aperture”

English musician Harry Styles caused a stir on social media by announcing his new track, “Aperture,” which is set for release in the UK at midnight this Friday. The single marks his first new music in nearly four years and serves as the next step in a meticulously planned comeback.

Styles confirmed the news via Instagram, uploading a photo from a recording studio as global anticipation reached a fever pitch. The timing has added significant intrigue, as “Aperture” arrives on the same day his former One Direction bandmate, Louis Tomlinson, releases his new album, How Did I Get Here? This has sparked an unexpected chart showdown between the two 31-year-old pop stars—a narrative fans have quickly embraced.

Earlier this year, Styles fueled speculation by posting a cryptic countdown clock on the website webelongtogether.co. When the timer struck 5 PM, the clock hands pointed to the word “DISCO” just before Harry Styles went live to announce even bigger news: his fourth studio album, KISS ALL THE TIME. DISCO, OCCASIONALLY, will be released on March 6.3.

The album artwork depicts Harry dancing beneath a disco ball, mirroring mystery posters that have recently appeared in major cities. Fans have since flooded X (formerly Twitter) with reactions, declaring his return “the revival of pop music.”

Harry Styles spent days dropping “breadcrumbs” to build hype—ranging from a nine-minute YouTube video to a surprise WhatsApp voice note of him singing “We Belong Together”—resurrecting the enigmatic rollout strategy that defined his previous eras.