American singer-songwriter and jet owner Taylor Swift (“Carolina”) released her tenth studio album, “Midnights,” on Oct. 21. The album is a detour from the “Taylor’s Version” re-release project she had completed with her two previous releases. “Midnights’” release was special, given the lack of a lead single or any indication of the music’s sound, other than some ‘70s inspired promotional images and a production credit for pop auteur Jack Antonoff (“Being Funny in a Foreign Language”).
That is, except for an internet leak two days prior to the album’s official release. Some fans were able to catch a full version of the track “Snow on the Beach” featuring fellow leak victim Lana Del Rey (“Buddy’s Rendezvous”). Del Rey’s feature is reduced to backing vocals on the chorus, a choice that is simultaneously disappointing, given Del Rey’s status as an indie queen, and unsurprising, given Swift’s history of minimizing her female features. As a pseudo-single, the track promises the dreamy chamber pop Swift experimented with on her critically acclaimed pandemic drops, “folklore” and “evermore.”
This is surprising, since upon its release “Midnights” revealed itself as not another cottage core album, but instead a return to the synth and electro pop of “1989,” “Reputation” and “Lover.” Swift’s folk era does leave one major gold streak on “Midnights” through confessional lyricism and refined production.
The true lead single “Anti-Hero” is an anthem for the self-haters and clinical depressives. Swift puts it succinctly in the chorus as, “It’s me/Hi/I’m the problem, it’s me.” She describes herself as a monster, or even worse, a congressman. Swift has always taken inspiration from self-criticism, such as on “Blank Space” or “mirrorball,” but the levels on this track suggest she is getting catharsis out of being depersonalized. The track features some awkward moments, like the “sexy baby” line or the talk-singing in the bridge. But overall, it is a sparkly danceable track prime for TikTok exploitation.
Standout track “Karma” is an ode to the gifts of karma. It is an antithesis to the concept of 2017’s “reputation,” possibly after Swift’s recent critical reevaluation of the hit reception of “folklore.” The sparkle of “Anti-Hero” returns like the sound of a high score at the arcade. Instead of self-hatred, this is pride: “Karma is a relaxing thought/Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?”
The fact that Swift is the sole writer on “Vigilante Sh*t” is ironic given that this song screams Billie Eilish (“TV”). The minimalist trip hop beat and edgy bravado is inseparable from a comparison to the sound of Eilish’s debut album. Even Swift’s vocals on the bridge sound like they came from Eilish’s high register. Lorde (“Solar Power”), also on the Antonoff roster, has a stronger case of “Midnights” being derivative when compared to her 2017 modern classic “Melodrama” The noisy segments of Swift’s “Maroon” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” sound suspiciously similar to that of Lorde’s “Hard Feelings” and “Green Light.”
But “Midnights” is special enough to evade being a fluke. This album proves that Swift is not relinquishing her songwriting capabilities after becoming a legacy artist. This is her chill-out era; she plays with the extents of her vocal range, but overall “Midnights” is an exercise in letting go.
It seems that after two cycles of reflection while re-recording her past works, Swift has decided to embrace being a pop star while also balancing the lyrical depth and wit she cultivated on her last original efforts. The old Swift may be dead, but this new one is a reincarnation. “Midnights” is a product of Republic Records.
Image via Taylor Swift via YouTube
