Taylor Swift has not been shy about releasing music lately. In 2020 she released two albums in quarantine, Folklore and Evermore, which were both surprise releases. Then in 2021 she released re-records of two of her earlier albums Fearless and Red, including all the previous released songs on the albums and new songs. At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards during her acceptance speech for video of the year the star announced she was releasing her tenth studio album, Midnights.

Midnights came out October 21^st, 2022, and after almost a year having passed since Red (Taylor’s Version) was released it was worth the wait. The thirteen songs on the album are stories of thirteen sleepless nights Swift has experienced. Swift also released an extended version of the album, the 3am version, adding seven extra songs that fans were not expecting.

The album starts off strong with track one; “Lavender Haze,” which starts off with this very melodic beat with techno undertones and the line “Meet me at midnight”. This song is more of a love song, and definitely one of the songs off the album I play on repeat. The entire song creates this mystical and dreamlike feeling almost like a fairytale, tying back into that theme of falling in love. The ending of the song sounds especially dreamy with lines like “…That lavender haze/I just wanna stay/I just wanna stay/In that lavender haze”

The first radio single off the album, track three, “Anti-Hero” is quite a powerful track and takes a deeper dive into Swift’s mind and how she thinks she is the anti-hero and questions why people root for her at times. The song has deep lyrics like a slower song would but has a poppy sounding beat.

Another standout song off the album is track six, “Midnight Rain”. With some techno yet pop sounding beats in it, it creates an interesting sound that is fun to listen to. The song itself has to do with wanting different things than someone who you originally had thought your goals aligned with. This for me personally is one of my favorite tracks off the album, I love that it sounds different from a lot of other songs on the album but still has those hard hitting and relatable Taylor Swift lyrics.

The only collaboration on the album is track four, “Snow on the Beach” and it features Lana Del Rey. The song is about falling in love and has a very whimsical magical sound. Lana Del Rey only sings in the background and doesn’t have her own verse. This song was really the only letdown on the album, for making the point to add that it was featuring Lana Del Rey she sure didn’t sing very much on the track, otherwise though the song is beautiful.

Track eleven, “Karma” is a song that has dealt with many mixed reviews from fans. Swift has been teasing some sort of project named Karma since the release of “Look What You Made Me Do” in 2017. Fans theorized due to the release of Reputation after Swift’s feud with Kanye West that “Karma” was put on the backburner, so Reputation could make a statement. When Swift announced “Karma” would be on Midnights, many thought it would have that moody and grungy feel that most of the songs on Reputation have. In reality, this song is more of a fun dance song about how karma is something Swift appreciates, referring to it as her boyfriend and a cat. Although it wasn’t what was expected, it’s such a fun song and a highlight on the album.

A song that does give a Reputation feel though is track eight, “Vigilante ****”. This song has a darker sound and beat than the rest of the album. The lyrics have to do with getting revenge on someone including lines like, “I don’t start it, but I can tell you how it ends/Don’t get sad, get even/So on the weekends/I don’t dress for friends/Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge”. It’s the moodiest song on the album and has an interesting sound.

Overall, I would give Midnights 5/5 stars. It is such a well composed album. It has a fresh sound. Each song on the album tells a story and that they all sound different is very refreshing. In a world where a lot of music follows the same generic beats, Swift took some risks with this album, and it paid off.

The album is being received very well both by fans and the media. Songs from the album currently hold the top ten spots on the Billboard Top 100, which makes her the first artist in history to achieve this. The album also became Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day and is already the best-selling album of the year.

Swift also announced that she will be going on tour all across the United States from March to August in 2023. When the tour was announced Abington High was at a standstill as both teachers and students both joined the everlasting virtual line to make sure they would get in on the presale. Swift will be playing three shows in Foxborough, on May 19th, May 20th, and May 21st.  Based on the reaction the tour is getting, it will be no surprise if tickets sell out fast. The presale for tickets begins November 15th! Midnights can be streamed on all music platforms and vinyls are available at Taylor Swift’s website and Target.