Last month, modern-day pop icon Taylor Swift was named the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Who could be more deserving? Swift owned the 2010s with groundbreaking albums that shook the music industry, leaving a long trail of chart-topping hits playing on every radio station. Even after 15 years of dominating the game, she shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, her success today is bigger than ever.
The release of her 10th studio album “Midnights” has been putting up crazy numbers in just the first week. She has already smashed countless records, including becoming the woman with the most top-10 hits in Billboard history and becoming the first artist ever to occupy the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And to top it off, “Midnights” is already the best-selling album of the year.
After the back-to-back releases of 2020’s folk-oriented “folklore” and “evermore,” she went even further by releasing rerecorded versions of her fan-favorite albums “Fearless” and “Red” in 2021. Now, “Midnights” sees her return to pop but with a new feel. Mysterious, hazy, heavy yet minimal, the project is propelled by moodier sounds that match the aesthetic of the album’s name.
“Lavender Haze” starts off the album strong with a dramatic, dense energy that sets the tone for the project. The track captures the feeling of trying to stay in the moment and focus on the love she feels in a relationship rather than focusing on the negative remarks of others. The breathy chorus provides a simple-yet-catchy melody, and the thick bassline sits at the forefront at all times, which adds to the steamy atmosphere she creates. The song lacks any major fluctuation and doesn’t move around or build up too much, but its seductive nature is built to lure you in.
The album’s shiny lead single, “Anti-Hero,” is one of the more memorable moments of the tracklist. With a pronounced retro sound, the muffled drums provide an easy-going rhythm which sits underneath Swift’s glossy, sweet vocal melody that peaks at the hook. The post-chorus consists of a short-and-sweet section of glittery keys, adding just the right touch to the 80s-inspired production. Although the track offers a lighthearted mood, the song illustrates Swift’s darker perceptions of herself as she emphasizes what she believes are her personal insecurities and failures.
“Snow On The Beach,” featuring assisting vocals from Lana Del Rey, consists of very minimal, wintery production with short string plucks and almost inaudible drums that feel like a faint whisper underneath. The delicate instrumentation and pretty vocals feel like a graceful snowfall with a soothing intimacy. As with “Lavender Haze,” I would have preferred the track to take me in other directions as the song feels like a flat line with little change-ups.
Retro aesthetics peppered throughout the tracklist return with “Midnight Rain.” The deep, brooding vocal melody leads you into the moody ambience when the beat kicks in, one that rides on its negative space and crawling tempo. Lighthearted synth hits and a reversed-sounding bass create a simple background as Swift croons about an unfulfilled relationship where they each felt like opposites and had different expectations. The idea for the style of production was intriguing, but I feel like they could have gone deeper and made it a little more dynamic. With many songs like this throughout the LP, I found myself waiting for the track to pick up and really get to the real meat, but it never quite arrives to that point.
“Vigilante Shit” sees Swift channeling her bad girl attitude by getting back at her former lover, expressed with lines like “Don’t get sad, get even / So on the weekends, I don’t dress for friends / Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge.” The track features the most stripped down, bare-bones production with a simple kick-snare rhythm but still creates a catchy bounce. While many other tracks might sulk in more melancholy emotions and anecdotes, here Swift assertively wipes those tears away and decides it’s time to get up and strike back, a badass energy that mixes well within the blend of emotions felt through the album.
The nocturnal soundscape never eases up as the project moves forward, and that nighttime aura feels the most defined with “Labyrinth.” An intro synth arpeggio reels you into a murky, airy atmosphere with a muted four-on-the-floor kick backing it up. The vocals are delicate and effortless like they’re floating above you, and when she sings “oh no, I’m falling in love,” it feels like a misty dream in slow motion. Many songs on the LP felt like they needed something more with a sense of minimalism that felt unjustified, but this track’s simplicity was executed in just the right fashion.
The upbeat tempoes and feel-good energy come around again with the catchy retro jam “Karma,” where she sings about her relationship with karma through some rather silly comparisons. The spirit is high on this record and provides the album another more memorable highlight with lively drums and animated synths.
“Sweet Nothing,” my personal favorite track of the album, is an electric piano ballad with beautifully introspective chords and a childlike innocence that feels light and freeing. Its soft charm reflects the gratitude and peace she has with her partner, who, while the rest of the world places upon her intense pressure and scrutiny, asks “sweet nothing” of her.
“Midnights” represents something in Swift that feels familiar, but is rooted in new ideas and doing things a little differently. I wouldn’t say this album has any intention of giving you something that will blow your mind, but if the project is anything, it’s consistent. The performances are mild but soothing, and they contribute to a different flavor of pop than what fans are normally used to. Given what she’s already done so well in her career thus far, my hope is that she will continue to take more experimental routes in the future, and with her quick pace of new releases as of late, that future could be very soon.
