Taylor Swift 鈥淢idnights,鈥� (Republic Records)
鈥淎ll of me changed like midnight,鈥� confesses halfway through her latest album, the aptly named and moody 鈥淢idnights.鈥� It鈥檚 a moment on the electric 鈥淢idnight Rain鈥� that finds lyricist Swift at her best, reminding you of her unparalleled ability to make any emotion feel universal.
The song鈥檚 chorus begins: 鈥淗e was sunshine, I was midnight rain.鈥� And continues: 鈥淗e wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name. Chasing that fame. He stayed the same.鈥� Then, that lyric: 鈥淎ll of me changed like midnight.鈥� The sound feels experimental for Swift, opening with her own vocals artificially pitched down to an almost-unrecognizable tone. It鈥檚 among the album鈥檚 most sonically interesting, an indie-pop beat that feels reminiscent of her producer Jack Antonoff鈥檚 work on Lorde鈥檚 鈥淢elodrama,鈥� but also fresh and captivating.
The song鈥檚 words, by Swift and Antonoff, are steady and detailed, but not distracting 鈥� allowing you to sink into the rhythm, flowing and feeling it with her.
On a self-aware Swift shows off her ability to evolve again. And in typical Swift fashion, she had more surprises up her sleeve 鈥� dropping and after 鈥淢idnights鈥� released.
For her 10th original album, the 32-year-old pop star approaches the themes she鈥檚 grown up writing about 鈥� love, loss, childhood, fame 鈥� with a maturity that comes through in sharpened vocals and lyrics focused more on her inner-life than external persona.
鈥淢idnight Rain鈥� could be a thesis statement for the project she鈥檚 described as songs written during "13 sleepless nights,鈥� an appropriate approach to the concept album for someone who has long had a lyrical appreciation for late nights (think 鈥淪tyle鈥�: 鈥渕idnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights鈥︹��). Of course, she鈥檚 centered her work around themes before 鈥� on 鈥淩ed,鈥� an ode to the color and the emotions it stands for, 鈥渞eputation,鈥� a vindictive reconfiguring of her own, and most recently on 鈥渇olklore鈥� and 鈥渆vermore,鈥� quarantine albums that expressed vulnerability in ways only isolation could.
But Swift presents 鈥淢idnights鈥� as something different: a collection of songs that don鈥檛 necessarily have to go together, but fit together because she has declared them products of late night inspiration. Positioning listeners situationally 鈥� in the quiet but thoughtful darkness of night 鈥� instead of thematically, feels like a natural creative experiment for a songwriter so prolific that her albums have become synonymous with the pop culture zeitgeist.
And with that, comes a tone that is just a little darker, a little more experimental, and always electric.
Track one, 鈥淟avender Haze,鈥� pairs a muffled club beat and high-pitched backing vocals from Antonoff with a stand-out, beckoning melody from Swift. 鈥淢aroon鈥� is a grown-up and weathered version of 鈥淩ed,鈥� a dive into lost love with rich descriptions of rust, spilled wine, red lipstick 鈥� images Swift is reconjuring with more bite.
鈥淟abyrinth鈥� makes clear she鈥檚 carried the best of her previous pop experiments with her 鈥� the synth of 鈥�1989鈥� and the softer alternative sounds of 鈥渇olklore鈥� 鈥� as she admits as only a songwriter can that a heartbreak 鈥渙nly feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind," on top of a track featuring Bon Iver-esque electronic trills.
Swift shines when she is able to marry her signature lyrical musings with this new arena of electronic beats. And while this isn't another album of acoustic indie sounds like 鈥渇olklore,鈥� it is clear that Swift has taken a step forward in the indie-pop genre 鈥� even if it's a step in a different direction.
The album鈥檚 weaker moments are the ones where that balance feels off. 鈥淏ejeweled鈥� is a bit too candy sweet, with lyrics that feel like an updated, glittery take on 鈥淢E!鈥� The much anticipated 鈥淪now On The Beach,鈥� featuring Lana Del Rey, is poetic, pretty, and at times cheeky, but not as emotionally deep as the lyricists' combined power suggests it could be.
Even in those moments, 鈥淢idnights鈥� finds Swift comfortable in her musical skin, revealing the strengths of a sharp and ever-evolving artist who can wink through always-cryptic allusions to her very public life or subtle self-owns dispersed amidst lyrical confessions (see: 鈥淎nti-Hero鈥� and 鈥淢astermind") and hook even the casual listener with an alluring, and maybe surprising, beat.
But like the love-soaked 鈥淟over,鈥� and and 鈥渆vermore,鈥� 鈥淢idnights鈥� feels like both a confessional and a playground, crafted by all the versions of Taylor Swift we鈥檝e gotten to know so far for a new Taylor Swift to shine. And like always, we鈥檙e just along for the thrilling late-night ride.
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Elise Ryan, The Associated Press
