Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album “Midnights” on Friday. Swift announced the album in August at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
“Midnights” is the first album Swift has released since “Red (Taylor’s Version)” last year and it is her first new body of work since she released the sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” in 2020.
Swift described “Midnights” as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life” on her various social media accounts, also describing it as a “concept album.”
“Midnights” takes a different compositional approach than “Folklore” and “Evermore,” with Swift trading the other albums’ indie and acoustic compositions for an electronica and synth-pop style.
Many of the songs have compositions that call back to musical styles of the past and fans could have fun trying to pinpoint the inspiration behind each track.
Swift revealed the titles of the 13 songs in “Midnights” through a social media series she called “Midnights Mayhem with Me,” where she would use a bingo cage to release a bingo ball with a track number on it and then name the song that corresponded with the track number.
Swift has said in promotional videos that the five things that have inspired the album’s creation are self-loathing, fantasizing about revenge, wondering what might have been, falling in love and falling apart.
One notable track from the album is the lead single, “Anti-Hero.” “Anti-Hero” is the third song on the album and deals with many of Swift’s insecurities, including her anxiety and depression.
The chorus of “Anti-Hero” says, “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,” which is a fairly common sentiment shared by people that struggle with anxiety.
Another recurring theme in the song is nightmares. One line in the pre-chorus says, “I wake up screaming from dreaming one day, I’ll watch as you’re leaving,” and the bridge talks about a dream she has where she’s murdered by her daughter-in-law for inheritance money.
Nightmares and anxiety are both personal things for a lot of people and hearing a celebrity like Swift sing about them could be a nice experience for people who have the same problems.
Swift has said that “Anti-Hero” is one of her favorite songs that she has ever written. It also happens to be the most streamed song from the album on Spotify.
Another notable track on the album is the fourth track, “Snow On the Beach,” which is a collaboration with fellow musician Lana Del Rey. The song is about unexpectedly falling in love with someone at the same time they fell in love with you.
One line from the song says, “You wanting me tonight feels impossible,” which ties into the song’s overall message about strange occurrences, such as falling in love with someone who loves you or snow on the beach.
Swift is well-known in the industry for her powerful love songs and “Snow On the Beach” is another great one, with a softer sound reminiscent of previous songs like “This Love” from her album “1989” and “Invisible String” from “Folklore.”
As a nice surprise for fans, Swift released another version of “Midnights” just hours after the original release. “Midnights (3am Edition)” has seven bonus tracks and was fittingly released at 3 a.m.
“Midnights” is a relatively large step away from both her last two studio albums, but it still highlights Swift’s storytelling abilities and her history of writing about personal issues in a relatable way. The album is a wonderful addition to her extensive discography.