By Charlotte Hudson
TAYLOR SWIFT / @taylorswift on Instagram
On October 21, as soon as the clock struck midnight, Taylor Swift released her record-breaking tenth studio album, “Midnights.” Keeping fans in gleeful anticipation until the very last second, Swift filled her release week with teaser trailers for upcoming projects, sneak peeks of heart-wrenching lyrics and even hints of an upcoming stadium tour.
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Now that the album has finally arrived, it’s already become the top selling album of 2022 and has reached the top of the charts on almost every major streaming platform. Described as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights” by Swift herself, “Midnights” is a bold and captivating album that might even be her best one yet.
While many thought the album would strictly follow in the same folk/indie pop footsteps of her last two studio albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore,” Swift revisits almost all of her previous projects to create a combined new and nostalgic sound, with strong undertones of “1989,” “Lover,” and most significantly “Reputation.”
“Midnights” opens with the stunning “Lavender Haze,” introducing the use of a voice effect that will later return throughout the album in the song “Midnight Rain.” “Lavender Haze” seems to follow the upbeat feeling of being in love that is expressed in the song “I Think He Knows” from her seventh studio album, “Lover,” but with a more haunting tone, which sets the scene for the second song on the album, “Maroon.” .
The lead single of the album is the contrasting “Anti-Hero,” and a majority of the songs on the album follow this same pattern: haunting lyrics with a pop, upbeat melody, another one being “Karma.” This is not unusual for Swift, as seen on “1989” and “Reputation” as well with songs like “New Romantics” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”
Stand-out songs on the album include “Karma,” the ultimate motivational anthem, and “Question…?” a catchy song with a chorus you won't be able to get out of your head.
And just when the “Midnights” madness seemed to be over, Swift surprised fans once more and released a special edition of “Midnights” called “Midnights (3am edition).” The edition includes seven bonus tracks that serve as a satisfactory completion of the album and stand out the most lyrically. Many of these seven tracks are written in collaboration with Aaron Dessner and are warmly reminiscent of the “Folklore/Evermore” era.
“The Great War” is the strongest song out of these seven tracks. As a beautiful storyteller, Swift describes the turmoil of a relationship set to an emotional background track. Other highlights from the edition include “Glitch” and “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” which shows the more vulnerable side of Swift as she sings in barely a whisper.
“Midnights” and all of its celebrations, success and release week madness have Taylor Swift once again dominating the music industry. Meet Taylor at Midnight and don't miss out on listening to this dazzling album.
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