Anita Perez '24
Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album, Midnights, on October 21. Fans had been waiting for this music since Taylor announced it at the 2022 VMAs on August 28, and she didn’t disappoint. The album is 13 tracks long, not including the 7 bonus tracks called the “3 AM” tracks. On Taylor’s Instagram, she wrote how Midnights tells “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
In just 24 hours, the album broke records with 185 million streams and is the biggest album ever released globally. The previous record was 78.7 million streams, which she set with her eighth album folklore.
One of the most popular songs on the album is called “Anti-Hero”, and it takes listeners through a journey of self-deprecation and believing you are the “anti-hero” in every situation. It has charted at number 1 on Billboard Hot 100 out of all 20 songs, and the music video currently has 46 million views.
Taylor also announced her first tour in five years. While she was on Good Morning America, she said, “I wanted to tell you something that I’ve been so excited about for a really long time and I’ve been planning for ages, and I finally get to tell you I’m going back on tour. The tour is called the ‘Eras’ tour, and it’s a journey through all of my musical eras of my career.” The tour is going to consist of a compilation of songs from all ten of her albums. She’s only released dates for the US leg of the tour, but fans already can’t get enough. Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, HAIM, Owenn, Paramore, Beabadoobee, Girl in Red, and Muna will be opening for her.
The album itself is a beautiful mix of pop and alternative/indie sounds. Some fans were disappointed because it didn’t sound like her previous two albums, folklore and evermore, but Taylor’s voice and overall image fit the pop genre perfectly. Her first pop album, 1989, is the most-awarded pop album of all time for a reason; it’s where she thrives. The album incorporates alternative and indie genres into each song as well. “Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey sounds like it could have been on folklore, but songs such as “Maroon” and “Question..?” sound like they came straight from her 1989 era.
That’s one of the concepts I really enjoyed as I listened to the album, actually. I loved how every song represented a different point in her life, and I could tell which album/era each song would have belonged to. “Lavender Haze” would have fit perfectly on Lover, while “Midnight Rain” could have been a lead single on reputation.
It made me nostalgic considering I grew up listening to her music. Her debut album was released the day before I was born, so I’ve pretty much had Taylor’s music my entire life.
At some points, those feelings of nostalgia made me emotional, especially because of how personal the album was. In my opinion, Midnights is her most relatable album yet, so every song felt very personal to me, even though the album wasn’t the genre I expected.
Despite that, I enjoyed hearing something different from Taylor. I secretly love pop music, so it was great to hear that from her again after so long. I think the only reason some fans dislike Midnights is because it doesn’t have the same sound as folklore or evermore, which are both beautiful, but also depressing. These two albums have no pop influences, they’re strictly alternative/indie with a bit of country throughout. Midnights is a completely different album, and I think a lot of fans who only recently joined the fandom weren’t ready for it.
I adored the entire album, of course, but my top three favorite songs are “You’re On Your Own, Kid”, “Mastermind”, and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.”
“You’re On Your Own, Kid” is the fifth track on the album and my absolute favorite. Taylor always makes the fifth track on her albums the most emotional, and I’d say she succeeded with this one. It made me nostalgic, sad, and hopeful all at once. My inner child screamed as I listened to these lyrics: “I looked around in a blood-soaked gown, and I saw something they can’t take away; There were pages turned with the bridges burned; Everything you lose is a step you take; So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid.” The song also mentions the concepts of body image issues, losing friends, heartbreak, wanting to be loved, and the overwhelming sense of being on your own as you grow up.
As a junior in high school who is now thinking about college and leaving my childhood home, that last concept really hit hard. This song broke my heart and put it back together in about four minutes.
This is a controversial take to a lot of Swifties, but Midnights is my favorite album, and it’s definitely one of her best, if not the best. Once again, Taylor outdid herself, but I cannot say I’m shocked. She’s been making history with her music for years, so I cannot wait to see what else the Midnights era holds. But until she tells us to meet her at midnight again, keep streaming!
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