Summary
- Hot on the heels of the release of his fourth solo album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., Harry Styles has dropped an action-packed new music video for the track “American Girls”
- The highly meta visual finds the singer navigating a chaotic Hollywood set filled with explosions and motorcycle stunts, cleverly relying on stunt doubles to highlight the shiny but often hollow facade of celebrity life
- Despite its upbeat, cinematic energy, Styles recently revealed that “American Girls” is actually quite a “lonely song,” inspired by watching his three closest friends find true fulfillment by marrying American women
Harry Styles is officially back, and he is bringing blockbuster-level action along with him. Just hours after unveiling his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., the Grammy-winning superstar treated fans to an explosive new music video for his latest track, “American Girls.” Blending high-octane movie magic with a surprisingly vulnerable message about love and loneliness, the visual perfectly captures the chaotic duality of life in the public eye.
The “American Girls” video immediately plunges viewers into the thrilling, behind-the-scenes chaos of a massive Hollywood production. Arriving alone on a closed set, Styles is tasked with navigating a series of increasingly dangerous, Dunkirk-style action sequences. Throughout the visual, he is seen supposedly running through a desert littered with detonating landmines, performing motorcycle flips, and driving under a massive 16-wheeler.
Adding to the video’s curated, movie-star aesthetic, Styles tackles the manufactured chaos dressed entirely in Michael Rider‘s Celine. Leaning into an effortlessly cool, high-low mix, his on-set wardrobe features a cotton and linen gabardine trench coat layered over a cotton fleece crewneck sweatshirt and a cotton jersey long-sleeved t-shirt. Grounding the look with a sporty yet delicate contrast, he pairs the heavy layers with satin boxing shorts and lambskin ballet lace-up shoes.
However, playing directly into the facade of celebrity culture, the video quickly pulls back the curtain to reveal that real-life stunt doubles are actually performing all the death-defying maneuvers. While his single, rockstar lifestyle may appear wildly exciting on the surface, the manufactured danger serves as a metaphor for his own emotional reality. Visually emphasizing this feeling of stagnation, Styles is repeatedly shown running on a treadmill or sitting in an immobile car, waiting for something truly real to happen.
The poignant contrast between the upbeat aesthetic and the song’s melancholic undertones was entirely intentional. Speaking with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe ahead of the album’s release, Styles confessed that “American Girls” is actually deeply personal. “I watched my three closest friends get married, and actually seeing them trust in something and risk something to find something truly fulfilling in a way that isn’t as shiny or on paper as exciting,” Styles shared. “Watching them get married, I was like, ‘I’m single, so I’m having all the fun.’ And ‘American Girls’ is actually about watching them get married, and there just is a magic when you find the person that you want to be with.”
By brilliantly juxtaposing the fake risks of a Hollywood action hero with the very real risks of falling in love, “American Girls” stands as one of Styles’ most thought-provoking visuals to date. Fans can stream the new music video on YouTube and listen to Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. on all major platforms now.
