By Tessa Nacke
“Midnights,” Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, was released on Oct. 21, 2022. This new album brings new songs, new questions, new theories and, of course, a new era of Taylor.
“Midnights” has broken records already, even within its first 24 hours.
“Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day, and [Swift] broke the record for the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history,” Spotify Newsroom, an online publication, said.
This record-breaking album had some genius marketing strategies behind it. Fans pre-ordered CDs, vinyls and other merchandise without even knowing the lead single of the album. Swift is a “Mastermind,” and this album marketing reflects that.
Swift kept her fans at the edge of their seats with elusive clues, mysteries and easter eggs.
Starting on Sept. 21, Swift posted a video at midnight, revealing a track title of a song. Always at midnight. Always leaving many scrambling for an answer to the “Question…?”. Swift released these teasers up until the final title was released on Oct. 17.
This promotional method left many staying up all night to wait for a post from Swift. This caused more merchandise to be pre-ordered and kept fans hooked on “Midnights.”
On Oct. 21, “Midnights” was released. “Midnights” features 13 songs and the album is about 45 minutes long.
“Midnights” is an album about 13 sleepless nights, giving fans a personal insight into Swift’s brain. This album features themes of falling in love, self-loathing, revenge, falling apart and wondering what might have been.
I find that “Midnights” has similar sounds to many different albums and draws inspiration from each to create an original sound.
If “1989” and “reputation” had a child, it would be “Midnights.” Swift’s new album features a mature and more vulnerable sound than any other of her previous albums.
The album starts off with the song “Lavender Haze,” using strong vocals and catchy beats that mirror the vibes of a previous album, “Lover.”
“Lavender Haze” is the modern “I Think He Knows” in the way that the lyrics itself are very similar, as are the catchiness and rhythm of the song.
“Lavender Haze,” “Midnight Rain,” “Sweet Nothing” and others all are about falling in love. The sweet innocence of love can be shown in the melodic harmonies of “Sweet Nothing.”
The mood of “Midnights” instantly shifts with “Anti-Hero” and “Mastermind,” which display themes of self-loathing.
“Anti-Hero” has already swept the world by storm with its powerful lyrics and an evocative music video.
“It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me,” sings Swift in “Anti-Hero.” This lyric has hit home with many as it is being declared as an instant self-hate anthem for all.
Glimmers of “reputation” can be seen in revenge-filled songs such as “Vigilante ___” and “Bejeweled.”
This album features more sound effects, reverberated voices and a more electronic sound overall. Each song is special in its own way, and every listener can find a favorite song due to its dramatically different themes in certain songs.
BUT WAIT! There’s more!
Three hours after her initial release of “Midnights,” Swift released seven more songs in a deluxe version of the album, “Midnights (3am Edition).”
These seven songs show themes of falling apart, and most prominently, what “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” been.
You can listen to “Midnights” on any music streaming platform right now, and envelop yourself in Swift’s smooth lyrics, cautious vulnerability and her “Labyrinth” of double meanings.
