Harry Styles Goes Dirty Dancing in Hotel Stalker Skirmish for ‘Aperture’ Video
Having dropped on January 22nd, ‘Aperture’ is the lead single from Harry Styles’ upcoming album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally’, and accompanying its release is a dreamlike music video written and directed by Aube Perrie.
The DIVISION director, who is also known for his brand work for Tonal and Zalando, has previously directed Harry Styles’ videos for ‘Satellite’ and ‘Music For A Sushi Restaurant’.
This time, the nearly six-minute film follows the ex-One Direction pop star through the liminal spaces of a hotel, quite literally falling deeper into an uncanny labyrinth of desolate backrooms in an attempt to escape a mysterious pursuer.
Played by dancer and choreographer Danny Dolan, and simply known as ‘The Stranger’, this sunglass-wearing assailant chases Harry through the hotel, wreaking absolute havoc in a combative display of dance between the pair.
At one point, following a surreal intertwining of violence and vibes within the bowels of the eerie building, The Stranger lifts Harry into a Patrick Swayze-style ‘Dirty Dancing’ lift, and proceeds to swing the singer around by the legs.
The wire work combined with the indefatigable dancing and hotel setting evokes memories of Christopher Walken flying around in Spike Jonze’s music video for Fatboy Slim's ‘Weapon of Choice’. Meanwhile, the slightly sterile and green-tinged corridors are reminiscent of the corporate monotony aesthetics in other turn-of-the-21st-century media a la ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Fight Club’.
DoP Chris Ripley’s rich and surreal visuals, combined with Royal Muster colourist Mikey Pehanich’s grade, elevate the vacant rooms into starkly blank canvases for chaos, painting a palpable sense of unease between the energetic bursts of oneiric movement.
The music video was released following the reveal of the upcoming album’s tracklist, and the announcement of the Grammy-winning artist’s seven city residency in 2026.
Promoted by Live Nation, the ‘Together, Together’ tour will run May to December and include 50 stops in Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, Melbourne, Sydney and New York, where Harry will perform 30 shows at Madison Square Garden.
