One hundred fans attended a private listening party for Harry Styles’ upcoming album, “Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally” at Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge on Feb. 18. Madison was one of just two listening party locations in the U.S.
The listening party announcement came as a shock for many. “I was shocked like many of us, but I was also really excited. It almost felt like it was meant to be in a way,” Madison resident Zoe Pagan told the Daily Cardinal.
Fans interested in attending the listening party were prompted to enter the official sweepstakes, with 50 entries selected. Part of the entry involved answering the question, “What do you think listening to the album will feel like?” to which Pagan responded, “It’s gonna be a very euphoric, all-encompassing experience.”
“I would definitely say that rings true,” Pagan said after the event.
Participants learned of their selection via email the morning of Feb. 16, just four days after the announcement, along with a form to confirm their plus one, according to Pagan.
Lola’s General Manager Bryn Goldberg told the Cardinal that Styles’ team chose the venue three weeks before the event. “They did the whole soundcheck, and they just wanted to hear music in this space and get a feel for what it would be like being here,” Goldberg said.
Attendees thought the venue fit the vibe of the album. “It seemed like the perfect venue for it, kind of the moody lighting fit the vibe, the space to dance, they decked it all out in Harry references,” Pagan said.
Styles wasn’t present at the listening party, but he did address Madison directly in a pre-recorded audio message. “He spoke a lot about wanting to say ‘yes’ to things more as opposed to saying ‘no’ to things and just allowing himself to put himself out there more,” Pagan said.
The main takeaway was the danceability of the upcoming album.
Olivia Nedland, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Cardinal there were “lots of dance beats, kind of how ‘Aperture’ is” and said the album’s tracks are “all super fun, funky, and good to dance to.”
“It’s definitely a departure from his past work,” Pagan said. “He ventures into a new kind of sound that is a lot more reminiscent of house music — club beats, very dancey, lots of layered vocals and effects that we haven’t heard him really use before.”
Beyond the album itself, the listening party provided guests an engaging, exciting experience that extended beyond the music.
Echoing the elaborate outfits fans wore during Styles’ previous tours and live events, attendees dressed for the disco theme.
“Everyone showed up in their best outfits,” Pagan said. “A lot of people were wearing sparkles, really going with the disco theme of it all.”
Lola’s provided an open bar featuring its entire menu and three album-themed cocktails. The staff named the specialty drinks based on song lyrics, adapting them from mocktails on the lounge’s standard menu. “We wanted everyone to be able to have a little fun drink while they were doing it, whether it had alcohol or not,” Goldberg said.
After the party, guests received tote bags embellished with the album’s logo, along with a packet of tomato seeds and a poster.
Staff collected the guests’ phones at check-in, but provided disposable cameras to capture the memories of the night. “It was very immersive in that sense — no phones in sight,” Pagan said. “So it was really cool to kind of connect with everybody there in that way.”
The phrase “we belong together,” as repeated through the album’s lead single “Aperture,” captured the mood of the evening. “I feel like there’s definitely a sense of community and also it was just really high energy,” Nedland said. “Everyone was there to have fun with each other and share their love for Harry Styles and his music.”
Though Los Angeles and Madison were the only two U.S. cities selected for the album’s early release, Styles’ team announced a list of indie record store listening parties nationwide. Fans in the Madison area were able to enter a drawing to attend a midnight listening party at Strictly Discs on March 5.
Lola’s also teased the possibility of another listening party upon the album’s official release. “I think the goal is to have everyone have a similar experience in the same space,” Goldberg said.
“Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally" releases on March 6.
Staff writer
