Harry Styles has made a welcome return with his charmingly unconventional music video for his eighth track on his recent album. Styles released his album ‘Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally’ earlier this year, through Erskine and Columbia Records. Of its 12 tracks, ‘Coming Up Roses’ was one of his most emotionally vulnerable, with its music video perfectly encapsulating just that.

The video, directed by Bradley & Pablo, explores the beauty of fleeting relationships and romantic awkwardness rather than a romanticised vision of love. The unfiltered honesty matches the track’s lyrics, with the line “as I fumble my words and fall flat on my face through the truth” displaying the emotional clumsiness of romance. Set in an old-fashioned dance hall, the video follows Styles moving between a succession of dance partners. Each partner offers a glimpse of the complicated nature of human connection and places importance on even the shortest of interactions. The video finishes with a humorous yet lonely visual of Styles left alone in the hall eating a biscuit. Whilst it is a seemingly simple ending, it further pushes the idea that love is not always as grandly romanticised as it's made out to be. The contrasting emotions provoked by the scene highlight that loneliness can linger even in moments of connection. 

Musically, the track complements his visual storytelling with its introspective tone. Rather than the video relying on a grand budget or overwhelming imagery, ‘Coming Up Roses’ finds its emotional weight through the peaceful vocals and instrumentals. The track feels intensely human, capturing the hesitation of wanting to be understood but struggling to find the right words. With other songs on his album, including ‘Aperture’, ‘Dance No More’ and ‘American Girls’, having an obvious dance-driven sound, ‘Coming Up Roses’ welcomes a reflective and intimate pause between his other tracks. 

Styles’ track and video stand out for their willingness to embrace the less perfectly polished side of romance. It finds meaning in awkward exchanges, small interactions, and fleeting chemistry that make relationships feel real. 

Ella Clarke

@ellaclarkexo

Image: ‘Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally’ Official Album Cover

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