Harry Styles’ new record is a half-step in the right direction, but the musician still needs some “Taste Back.”

The British superstar’s fourth solo album – entitled “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” – released Friday and features a dozen tracks across about 43 minutes of music. The LP was preceded by its January lead single “Aperture” and arrives almost four years after 2022’s “Harry’s House,” which won three Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year. Even though the new album makes several intriguing choices in its production, the record cannot overcome the weaknesses of its uneven track list and Styles’ underwhelming, one-dimensional vocal performance.

Listeners looking for authentic disco music are bound to be disappointed by the record, which mainly settles into an indietronica and alt-pop soundscape anchored by skittering synths and inconsistent flourishes of percussion. The two exceptions are the LP’s strongest tunes, buried on the back half of the record – “Pop” and “Dance No More.” The former blends some funky bass and chirpy synths that properly transport the listener to the dance floor as Styles playfully sings, “I know I’ll do it again, it’s making me pop.” The latter is the only track that ever fully engages with the uninhibited groove that disco music calls for, getting lost in the moment as squelchy guitar riffs complement Styles’ yelps of “We wanna dance with all our friends.”

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The rest of the album is less enthusiastic about frolicking without abandon, though there are several other worthwhile tracks. “American Girls,” which received a new music video Friday, progressively becomes more of an earworm on repeat listens thanks to its propulsive bass, simple hooks and sing-along-ready chorus. As the second-shortest song on the album, “Ready, Steady, Go!” could have easily felt incomplete but instead is one of the most irresistible numbers on the entire project thanks to its lively production. The energetic “Are You Listening Yet?” and the pleasant lilt of “Taste Back” both offer similar concert-ready melodies.

Notably, “Aperture” is a much more compelling tune within the context of the album than as a standalone single. The song’s chorus chant of “We belong together” is a rousing introduction to the project, but the five-minute track is weakened by its plodding, nonsensical verses with puzzling lines such as “Take no prisoners for me / I’m told you’re elevating.” The undulating production seems reminiscent of Robyn, who is far more successful at sustaining tension across an extended dance track on modern classics such as “Dancing On My Own” or “Missing U.” While “Aperture” might not be on that same level, it is still one of Styles’ more beguiling and experimental singles.

One of the greatest weaknesses of the LP is the limited vocal range Styles brings to each tune, opting instead to keep his voice in a fairly solemn and monotonous register. More contemplative numbers, such as “The Waiting Game” and “Season 2 Weight Loss,” seem to be begging for a vocal performance with more conviction and emotion, but Styles comes across as detached and even apathetic on these forgettable songs. Styles is capable of making a song truly great when he leans into his falsetto or his husky tone – as seen both on radio juggernauts like “Adore You” and evocative deep cuts like “She” – but the storytelling power of his voice is severely lacking here.

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Unfortunately, the execution of “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” falls short of what this album could have been, with some bizarre entries breaking up the momentum on the back half of the record. Compared to the catchiness and well-curated vibe of the first half, it makes no sense to sandwich the one-two punch of “Pop” and “Dance No More” between the frustratingly dull “Coming Up Roses” and “Paint By Numbers.” The orchestration of the former is passable, and the acoustic guitar on the latter is sweet – but both songs feel woefully out of place due to their sluggish instrumentation and lack any gripping lyrics to make their presence justified.

Ironically, fans of Styles who want to dance would be best-served listening to past smashes such as “Watermelon Sugar” and “As It Was,” neither of which fit directly into the dance genre but that each pack greater buoyancy and vitality than most “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” tracks. Working in the new album’s favor is that its soundscape is more adventurous and layered than the overrated banality of “Harry’s House,” marking a fresh direction for the pop star – even if “Fine Line” remains his best work. Regardless, listeners are likely to be left wishing that Styles and his producers had taken bigger swings with the production and left the mundane folksy tracks on the cutting room floor.

Styles may be back, but “The Waiting Game” continues for him to release an album with no skips.