Harry Styles’ new album tops UK charts with record-breaking first-week sales

Harry Styles has secured another major chart success with his latest album, Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, debuted at number one on the UK album chart.

The record achieved the strongest opening week of the singer’s career, selling more than 183,000 copies after its release last Friday, according to the Official Charts Company.

The figure surpasses the first-week sales of his previous album, Harry’s House, which sold 113,000 copies when it topped the chart in 2022.

A significant portion of the new album’s sales came from physical formats. Around 66,000 copies were sold on vinyl, making it the biggest-selling physical album release of the year so far.

The achievement marks Styles’ third number-one album in the United Kingdom, further cementing his position as one of the country’s most commercially successful music artists.

The chart success arrives shortly after the singer performed at the 2026 Brit Awards in Manchester. During the ceremony, he opened the show with a performance of his former chart-topping single, Aperture.

Despite the strong sales performance, the album has received mixed responses from critics.

Some reviews have been less enthusiastic about the record.

The Telegraph criticised the album, writing that it had “all the emotional heft of a perfume advert”.

The Guardian awarded the record three stars, describing the listening experience as “nice all the time, good, occasionally”.

The paper’s chief music critic, Alexis Petridis, said the music was “muted, subtle and pleasant”, but suggested Styles struggled with the lyrical aspects of the album.

Other publications offered more favourable assessments.

NME praised the album, describing the singer as sounding “liberated and full of light”, even in its more reflective moments.

Clash magazine also responded positively, calling the project “a successful embrace of personal, and above all sensual, evolution”.

The BBC’s own review noted a contrast between the album’s musical style and its lyrical themes. It described the songs as “muscular” while highlighting an underlying “existential crisis” within the lyrics.

The review concluded that the album offers a complex portrait of the artist at a turning point in his career.

Styles has said the inspiration for the album came from his attempt to reconnect with everyday life following his lengthy Love On Tour concert series.

The global tour lasted 22 months and saw the singer perform to large audiences across multiple countries.

After spending such a long period travelling and performing, Styles explained that he wanted to experience the world differently while creating the new album.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders, the musician said the record was shaped by a decision to embrace new experiences.

He described the creative process as “saying yes to everything”, which involved stepping back into everyday environments and spending time among crowds rather than on stage.

“When you close certain doors off to protect yourself, you also shut out a lot of positive things,” Styles said.

For him, the album became a reflection of being more open to the world and meeting new people.

He said those experiences influenced the music and the themes explored throughout the record.

Styles added that he hopes listeners will find their own meaning in the album and feel encouraged to embrace their own experiences.