Taylor Swift ‘Midnights’ Review

It’s here. Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album ‘Midnights’ dropped today (ironically at 5am UK time) and blew all other recent releases out of the water. The thirteen track electronic pop record highlights ‘thirteen sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life’, and takes elements from her previous hits, with clever ‘Folklore’-esque lyrics and the energy of ‘1989’ with a slight edge to it. There is even a hint of ‘Reputation’ to the album, particularly with track eight; ‘Vigilante Shit’ has a combination of low bass frequencies and lyrics like “On the weekends, she don’t dress for friends, lately she’s been dressing for revenge” mirroring her 2017 album, giving fans the perfect lyrics to chant on her (to be announced) upcoming tour. It may also be an amazing call-out towards Swift’s past controversies with Scooter Braun and Kanye West, much to the delight of fans who dislike these figures.

There is no doubt that Taylor loves to keep her fans guessing, and earlier this week she dropped a weekly calendar with important dates and times surrounding the release. Three hours after the album dropped, fans were anticipating a ‘very special chaotic surprise’; with some expecting tour dates, others maybe one or two exclusive tracks. In typical Taylor Swift fashion, she dropped a second version of the album, the ‘3am Edition’, with not just a couple, but seven bonus songs, giving her fans even more than they were expecting. She also dropped the music video for ‘Anti-Hero’, and is releasing another early next week; does she ever stop?

The album also has a very personal touch to it, with songs like ‘Anti-Hero’ reflecting Swift’s mental health with managing fame and her public image since releasing her first album and soaring to fame back in 2006. Despite its slightly darker message, the song still has a signature Taylor Swift pop princess sound to it. ‘Midnights’ has one feature on track four ‘Snow on the Beach’, with Lana Del Rey’s angelic vocals harmonising Taylor throughout the song, blending both artists' genres perfectly. My personal favourite song at the moment is ‘Karma’, the eleventh track on the album, purely because the lyrics are so incredibly catchy, and it’s just a stand out song for me. Perhaps because it also emanates the energy of ‘1989’, one of my favourite Taylor albums. The opening track ‘Lavender Haze’ is another stand out, perfectly setting the tone of the album and what listeners can expect, sprinkling ‘Midnight’ references throughout.

If I were to describe ‘Midnights’ in one word, it would be magical. Funnily enough, this is an album I could easily fall asleep to with its delicate and peaceful style, and Taylor never misses with albums that are so easy to listen to, the lyrics melting into my ears.

Taylor Swift is arguably one of the greatest pop stars of our generation, and ‘Midnights’ proves that she can keep her new releases as exciting as the last without keeping the same sound. ‘Midnights’ deserves all five stars.