Babe, wake up—Taylor Swift finally dropped her tenth studio album.
October 21, 2022 has been a date circled in my well-worn planner since late August. When Taylor Swift announced the release of her highly anticipated tenth album, fans everywhere (including yours truly) scoured the internet to try to find clues regarding what exactly this album, titled Midnights, would entail. There was little to go off of—Swift wrote that it was going to be a concept album, calling it “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life”. Rumors then circulated that this might be the third sister to her duo of Folklore and Evermore, carrying on that sad, folksy, introspective pandemic-inspired sound. Others pointed out that the photoshoot for the album and the resulting aesthetic was obviously heavily inspired by the deep jewel tones and flair of the 70’s, and therefore the album might be reminiscent of that decade’s disco or rock. Almost nothing, however, prepared me for what I heard when I pressed play on Midnights Friday morning.
The first track, titled “Lavender Haze”, opened with a deep bass pulse, almost reminiscent of a stereotypical house track. Swift’s sharp vocals cut in moments later, and I knew immediately that this album was unquestionably unique.
Indeed, almost every track carries a different sound and weight with it, some heavier with resounding beats and electronic pop, others with a light guitar and misty vocals. From the opening track, Swift then tackles maturing love over somehow melancholy synths in her second song titled “Maroon”, a play on or perhaps a continuation of one of her earlier hits, “Red”. There’s a wistful, quiet yearning in Swift’s voice in her one guest-featured song, “Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey, but then a brash, bolder, even sultry quality to her vocals in her more neon-fueled tracks like “Bejeweled” or “Midnight Rain”.
Every song offers something different, whether you’re seeking revenge (“Karma”) or desperately in love (“Sweet Nothing”) or even wanting to hide from the press (“Lavender Haze”). Listeners can hear the weight of the lyrics for Swift, each line highly specific and obviously personal to her life. She deals with what could’ve been on one track, and celebrates her relationship of six years with her boyfriend on the next. There’s quiet introspection turned into pure self-loathing on “Anti-Hero”, the album’s lead single: “I’ll stare directly at the sun / but never in the mirror, / It must be exhausting / always rooting for the anti-hero.”
And of course, the 13 original tracks weren’t enough for one album—at 3 am on album release night, Taylor announced the inclusion of seven additional tracks that she wrote on the way to finding the thirteen songs for the album. The tracks included on Midnights: The 3am Edition, as Swift dubbed it, happened to be some of my favorites. “High Infidelity” and “The Great War” are reminiscent of the subtly shimmering folk-rock of Evermore and Folklore, while tracks like “Paris” and “Glitch” contain hints of the glossy rock of her fifth studio album, 1989.
Overall, this album was, in a word, surprising on all levels. With each track, Swift’s lyricism switches from simple, sometimes puzzlingly shallow pop phrases (Taylor, what does “karma is my boyfriend” even mean?) to narratives stitched into complex rhyme schemes. The sound continually shifts from song to song, leaving the listener waiting to see what she does next. At first listen, the constant fluctuation was unsettling and seems to speak of inconsistency in her writing—I was expecting a sadder, minimalistic version of Taylor. But Midnights reminds listeners that at her heart, Swift is truly pop royalty. The album stays with and grows on you, the songs sticking in your head hours after listening. I found myself hitting the repeat button once I finished the album, and with each round, I love it more and more.
Overall, Midnights finds Taylor Swift in her era of confidence-filled songwriting and musical prowess that allows her to showcase her startling range of polished talent. Her maturity as a performer and artist is evident through the album’s ups and downs as she is obviously unafraid to try a little bit of everything, flowing effortlessly from house beats to mellow melodies. And, if you’ll excuse me–it’s midnight. Time for another listen.
