At midnight on October 21st 2022, Taylor Swift’s new album, ironically called ‘Midnights’ was released. The new album contains 13 songs, and they all have to do with 13 sleepless nights Swift has experienced during her life. There was also a surprise bonus track released at 3am which included 7 more songs. 

All 20 songs are unique, while some are automatically great from the beginning, others take a few seconds to sink in. These songs are more closely related to her pure-pop music style shown in her past album “1989.” There are also hints of synth-pop from albums like “Lover” and “Reputation.”

From the “Midnights” tracklist, ‘Lavender Haze’ is first. It’s Swift expressing how she doesn’t care about what society expects from her relationships, and that she just “wants to stay in that lavender haze.” The lavender haze being a shield of not caring or listening to the comments about what is expected of her. 

Next on the album is ‘Maroon’ which goes suitably well with ‘Labyrinth ‘. They both follow the idea of falling in love but then losing that love and the struggles that come with breakups. ‘Maroon’ specifically follows the story of falling for someone and then losing that person and the feeling of absence without that person. While ‘Labyrinth’ is the story of falling in love again but fearing the idea of falling in love due to the idea of going through a breakup again.

‘Anti-Hero’ is a pop song about how in the end Swift’s biggest enemy is her own self. In the chorus, she writes, “It’s me/ Hi/ I’m the problem, it’s me.” The one line itself helps summarize the theme of the whole song. Where Swift shows that she has her own self-doubts and that if anyone or anything is holding her back it is those doubts in her mind. 

The album’s only song with a duet is ‘Snow on the Beach,’ which features popular music artist Lana Del Rey. This song is a great song that tells the story of two people falling in love with each other, and the beauty within that experience. The song also tells how weird and cliche the perfect love story is, which adds deeper meaning to the song. The only issue with this song, and really the entire album, is that Lana Del Ray was supposed to be featured. Del Rey really just adds to the harmony rather than having her own lyrics which was a small let-down for her fans.

‘You’re on your own kid’ is the fifth song in the album. Fans have a theory that the fifth song is always the saddest in the album. ‘You’re on your own kid’ definitely lives up to the expectation. It’s easy to see why people say this song is the most depressing with gut-punching lines like, “I hosted parties and starved my body/ like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss” and, “I searched the party who’ve better bodies/ just to learn that you’ve never cared.” These both are heartbreaking and bring back some hard memories but it all adds to the experience of the song.

The next song is ‘Midnight Rain.’ It tells Swift’s own story of how she once loved someone, but she was young and beginning her story to success. Her partner wanted to settle down as expected by society, so they broke up, got over each other, and Swift went on with her music career.  Sometimes on sleepless nights, she can’t help but think about what would’ve happened if she stayed with him. The song is beyond good and even a little thought-provoking because what if Swift had not continued her music journey and risen to fame? This question can lead to the thought of what could be different in one’s life had they followed their dreams rather than what is expected of them.

Many of the songs on the tracklist have to do with various love stories that Swift has from over the years. The song ‘Question..?’ tells a lively story of how a good girl and a bad boy come by one another. After the encounter, the good girl is left with many questions. While ‘Labyrinth’ also tells a love story, but it is about a girl who was able to fall in love with someone new. Even though she was still feeling broken about a past relationship. Both of these songs are pretty basic Taylor Swift songs. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good, they are still perfect in their own ways.

It’s easy to say that both the songs ‘Vigilante S—’ and ‘Karma’ go together quite well. They both have stories about people getting what they deserve, and both songs are honestly written brilliantly. ‘Vigilante S—’ is a story about a woman who finally draws the line, and gives her partner what he deserves. ‘Karma’ is about how Swift’s enemies are finally getting what they deserve thanks to karma. Therefore she has lines like, “Cause karma is my boyfriend/ Karma is a god’ and, “Sweet like honey/ karma is a cat/ Purring in my lap ’cause it loves me”. Both these lines show Swift’s so-called appreciation for karma. As the people who have done her wrong are finally getting what they deserve.

‘Bejeweled’ is such a wonderful song because Swift is telling a story of when she was once dating a man who didn’t see her for the gem she is, and didn’t value her as he should’ve. Although her ex-partner felt that way, Swift still knew she could “make the whole place shimmer.”  This story shows a great deal of confidence in Swift because although she was being treated as ordinary, she remembered how important she was and didn’t let anyone else demean that.

‘Sweet Nothing’ is an adorable song about Swift being in love with someone who loves her for who she is and nothing else. The song is amazing and serves as a reminder that people deserve to be loved as they are. They shouldn’t have to change themselves to be loved.

Last but definitely not least is ‘Mastermind,’ and this song takes quite a turn compared to all the other songs. It tells how Swift had carefully crafted a master plan to get her crush to fall in love with her. It also goes on about her mischievous way which also hints at how she gives away little easter eggs about things like upcoming albums, music videos, etc. The song itself is beautiful, it is a pop-style song that has the potential to boost anyone’s mood and confidence.

The album ‘Midnights’ is definitely unlike any of Swift’s other albums, but despite this it is almost flawless. Fans are not only satisfied with the album, but they are beyond delighted with it. All 13 songs were written and produced perfectly, and definitely deserve loads of praise. It is exciting to see what will follow this album drop, whether it is music videos, a new single, or an entire album.