Review | ‘Midnights’ is the perfect combination of beautiful songwriting and upbeat hits

Award-winning artist, Taylor Swift, released her 10th album, titled ‘Midnights’ on Oct. 21, which included themes of self-loathing, fantasizing about revenge, wondering what could have been, falling in love and falling apart. Photo collage by SIMRAH AHMAD, staff photographer

As the clock struck 12 a.m. on the West Coast, Swifties frantically refreshed their favorite artist’s Instagram account awaiting a special announcement. For the past three hours, they had been listening to Taylor Swift’s new album "Midnights," but the excitement around what the "chaotic surprise" could be was almost even more thrilling. Then at 12:01 a.m., fans were given seven additional songs to the album.

In the past three years, Swift has released a total of six albums, including her most recent release, “Midnights” which came out Oct. 21. Swift has also been re-recording her old albums that she does not have the rights to ("Fearless" in April 2021 and "Red" in November 2021) in order to gain complete control over her discography and coin it as "Taylor's Version." 

“Midnights” is a pop, techno-inspired album, reminiscent of her years making other pop albums. Most recently, Swift has released her albums “Folklore” and “Evermore," containing slower indie songs in comparison to earlier albums such as the fast-paced “1989” and revenge-filled “Reputation.” 

Swift, being her unpredictable self, decided to post a schedule on Oct. 17, outlining what the coming weeks would look like in terms of roll-out. This included the initial album release, the 3 a.m. EST chaotic surprise (i.e. seven additional songs), music videos and talk show appearances. Fans quickly got to speculating what hidden messages they could find in the schedule, as they usually do whenever Swift releases new content. 

It seems this album had a major emphasis on marketing, with countless rollouts of differently designed vinyls, online exclusive signed CDs, Target exclusive CDs featuring a bonus track and various merch rollouts on her website. All of these marketing tactics were effective in gaining listeners to the album as Spotify tweeted that Swift broke the record for most-streamed album in a single day as well as most vinyls sold in a week. 

Additionally, Swift partnered with Amazon Prime during Thursday Night football, where she gave a teaser trailer for the album during the third quarter.

In her 2022 MTV Video Music Award speech in August, Swift announced she would be releasing her new album, “Midnights." In the week leading up to its release, Swift told fans that the album is inspired by 13 sleepless nights where she was kept awake due to various reasons. She explained in videos posted to Spotify that the main themes were: self-loathing, fantasizing about revenge, wondering what might have been, falling in love and falling apart.

Swift emphasizes the theme of self-loathing through her song “Anti-Hero,” which she describes as the first song where she takes a deep dive into her biggest insecurities. With lyrics like “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror” and “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it's me” it’s clear Swift experiences her fair share of self-hatred just like those of us who aren’t millionaires and pop stars. Swift also directed, wrote and starred in the “Anti-Hero” music video.

In Swift’s new “Reputation”-like song, “Vigilante Shit," the heavy bass and mysterious tone are a reflection of the lyrical content. “Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge” and “Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife” are two phrases that have led to fans theorizing who Swift could be talking about. Fans think it could possibly be Scooter Braun, the man who stole Swift’s music masters, and his ex-wife, Yael, who divorced last year.

“Bigger Than the Whole Sky” is one of Swift’s 3 a.m. tracks that really showcases her theme of wondering what might have been through painfully tear-jerking lyrics. “Did some force take you because I didn't pray?” and “'Cause it's all over, it's not meant to be / So l'll say words I don't believe'' are just a few of the heartbreaking lines that Swift beautifully sings in this song about possibly a person or love that has been lost and will no longer be. 

“Sweet Nothing” is a perfect example of Swift’s theme of falling in love. “Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?” is a lyrical reference to her six-year long relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, who recently starred in a series filmed in Wicklow, Ireland implying that she accompanied her beau during filming. “All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothin’” is a lyrical line with a double meaning. 

Sweet nothings are usually in reference to small, intimate gestures between a couple, but in this line, Swift is implying that throughout their relationship, Alwyn has never asked anything of Swift, which she finds incredibly sweet and probably a relief.

The lyrics in “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” reflect Swift’s last theme, falling apart. Fans speculate this song is about her past lover John Mayer because she mentions being 19 in the song. Swift recalls how this old relationship traumatized her, still hurting her years later through lines like, “And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts / Memories feel like weapons.”

I was worried about how this album would live up to my expectations. I have grown up with Swift’s music, having already attended three of her past tours and strictly playing her songs in the car since I was little — first on CDs and now on Spotify playlists. I have been blown away by her recent albums, so I was curious where she would take this new album as she enters a new era.

Upon first listening to the album, I couldn’t quite place my finger on how I felt just yet. But as I reviewed each song individually with the lyrics pulled up, I could immediately tell that I will have the entire album on repeat for the forthcoming months.

Across social media, fans have had a wide range of reactions. Some Swifties are rejoicing at the return to pop music and love the chance to dance to an upbeat song. On the other hand, newer fans who discovered Swift from her slower albums don’t feel as connected to this album as they had hoped. For true Swifties, hopefully this means the battle for tour tickets won’t be as bad.

Overall, I believe this is the type of album where it gets better each time you listen to it. Swift was able to take her pop song skills that she has had for years and combine it with her more recent lyrical mastery. This album only reaffirms to me that Swift will always be one of the most influential artists of our time — even when the clock strikes midnight.