the waiting game: final musings before ‘kiss all the time, disco occasionally.’ is out worldwide.

Posted On March 5, 2026

Samantha Colleran, March 2026

the day before a harry album release, i spend as much time as possible listening to all of his albums top to bottom on repeat. i put myself back in the space i was in when they were first released.

harry styles, 2017, i was in tenth grade and recently diagnosed with adhd, the things i struggled with were finally starting to make sense, and harry was there reminding me that everything would be alright.

fine line, 2019, i was just about to finish my first semester of college, one final exam away from winter break, smiling the whole bus ride home as harry shouted “i’m going, oh, i’m going home” over and over in my ears.

harry’s house, 2022, i had just finished my classes for what would be my second to last semester of college, and i was beginning my final summer break before graduating. you know, not the same as it was back in 2017.

this time around, i’m still the same but also completely different. i’ve experienced a lot in the time between harry’s house and kiss all the time. disco, occasionally.; graduating college with a bachelor of arts in music industry, assisting with caretaking for granny until she peacefully passed, attending many concerts, suffering from chronic back pain and eventually making the decision to get surgery (almost six months post op!), still looking for full time employment, the list goes on. yet somehow i still feel like the same girl who was sitting in her room in 2017 pressing play on harry styles for the very first time, giddy with anticipation and full of so much pride and admiration. 

harry album releases are very deep and personal for me (shocker). the day before harry’s house dropped, i cried so much you’d think it was my album being released out into the world. reflecting on all the memories i made with fine line, the closing of that chapter was a tough one. i spent so much of college with that album, forming memories that will last a lifetime. harry’s house has been there for me in so many moments where i needed comfort, safety, an escape from life. it’s the album that gave me my favorite harry song ever, something i’m eternally grateful for. harry styles soundtracked so many formative moments, and watching it performed in its entirety at msg in 2018 was life changing. today, as i begin to pack up my things and depart from harry’s house, i’m getting ready to head to the disco and i’m excited to see all it has in store. i’m feeling… good. actually, i’m feeling a lot of things, but Good sums it up the best. sure, i’m incredibly emotional about it; harry’s fourth album, he’s 32, i’m 24, i’ve listened to and watched him evolve, i’ve been there for every solo album release over nine years… how did we get here? despite the emotions, i’m eager to hear new music from harry, to be able to step inside yet another musical world he’s so graciously welcoming us into and gain more insight into just how his creative mind works. 

i planned on going for a walk and listening to all three albums one final time out in the world before kattdo joins the rotation, but the weather isn’t allowing for it, so i’m left to reflect in the confines of the four walls i’ve spent a decade and a half of my life in; one direction and harry posters litter my walls, reminding me of just how long i’ve been in this. to hear harry speak about kattdo; how freeing it was to create again, slowing down and allowing himself the space to discover who he is, it excites me. i’m eager to have it in my ears, to be able to dissect every lyric and take mental notes of interesting instrumental moments buried deep within the tracks and think of which songs will become fan favorites and which songs will sneak their way into my heart and permanently reside there like harry songs that came before. 

of course, this isn’t a permanent goodbye to any of his music, it’s all out there for me to listen to whenever i please. the idea of change and letting go of things has always been tough for me. saying goodbye to an era that permanently altered my brain, bled into every crevice of my life, inspired me and made me feel so human and safe and at home, it’s hard. i know kattdo will bring new memories, new emotions, new feelings. the closer the clock ticks to midnight, the more prepared i am for the waiting game to be over and to yet again have my life changed by the artist who has come to mean the world to me. bring it on, kattdo. ready, steady, go!