Midnights Review

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post! I plan on making a more consistent effort to stay active on this blog. But finally, here are my thoughts on Midnights by Taylor Swift, her 10th studio album released October 21, 2022.

There is something so profoundly comforting about Taylor Swift returning to autobiographical songwriting. Every slip of advice delivered, each proclamation of guilt, of hope, of acceptance, suddenly carries a credibility absent from Folklore and Evermore. The tempting imagery now allows us to picture scenes as grandiose as dancing barefoot in New York to scenes as bothered as laying awake in bed with Taylor Swift in their place. So if Taylor Swift suggests that “you’ve got no reason to be afraid”, then maybe that’s really true. Maybe she really means that.

On first listen, the album sounded sonically very familiar. I could pick out tracks that easily could’ve found a home elsewhere in her discography. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is a production staple of Evermore, which held little surprise after seeing Aaron Dessner on the track. “Lavender Haze” takes advantage of the Lover appeal, showcasing flowery harmonies and the breathy vocals of “I Think He Knows”. “Vigilante Shit” is a classic Reputation addition, including dark synths that invoke uncomfortable shivers. While there is nothing particularly unique or boundary-pushing about Midnights sonically and production-wise, perhaps that isn’t its purpose in the first place. Taylor Swift promoted Midnights as a concept album, representing “a collection of music written in the middle of the night” throughout her career. This description suggests that we should expect nods to her previous work instead of a genre shift.

As a loyal listener of Taylor Swift’s music, I always find myself captivated to explore the progression of her lyricism, the increased maturity in themes she chooses to explore. Between the navigation of self-loathing on “Anti-Hero” and the likening of her persona to the “Carrie” of her hometown on “You’re On Your Own, Kid”, I was thoroughly impressed. On Midnights, Taylor Swift takes herself less seriously than ever before, which is undoubtedly intentional. As stated in an interview, the pop star often struggles with “not feeling like a person”, which is why Taylor Swift makes it a point to prove that she’s petty, she’s disappointing, she’s cynical, she’s boring, just like the rest of us. She virtue signals like a Congressman, and she’s impossible to rid like Godzilla. While the double-edged sword insists that this lack of pristine role-playing will cost her the sensationalism achieved from 1989 and Reputation, Taylor Swift has already transcended into a new subcategory of fame. Her work is already timeless, which is why we finally have the opportunity to get to know her better as a fallible person.

Taylor Swift sets the mood on Midnights with the cool, unbothered “Lavender Haze”. Although the lines “they’re bringing up my history” are reminiscent of the media-haunted Reputation, Swift is wiser, more indifferent now. She assuringly repeats, “get it off your chest, get it off my desk”. She then swaps quips for moody, cloudy imagery on “Maroon”, painting pictures of blood rushing into cheeks, scarlet marks on collarbones, rust growing between telephones, so vividly that we are equally as devastated to discover that the blood of that relationship dried out. “That’s a real fucking legacy”, indeed.

“You’re On Your Own, Kid” instantly stands out as my favorite on Midnights. The cathartic buildup of blood, sweat, tears, starved bodies, and unfunny jokes conspires to set the scene of a “blood-soaked” Carrie at prom. She’s a sorry spectacle, and no one quite knows what to say. But it was these words that left me awestruck:

'Cause 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

These words serve as a bittersweet reminder that nothing lasts forever, but it’s no excuse to not savor the temporary to its fullest or to be afraid to watch something powerful slip away. These words are a reminder that we’re meant to be hopeful, we’re meant to live in the moment, we’re meant to seek out better things for ourselves. And that we shouldn’t be afraid for what’s to come. These words will forever hold a profound impact on my mindset.

Bonus track “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” remains another provoking standout on the album, flaunting a vocal ability we’ve perhaps been waiting for since the 2010 album Speak Now. As she wails, “living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts / give me back my girlhood, it was mine first”, Taylor Swift’s voice strains and bruises in a heartbreakingly child-like manner. Suddenly, she’s not 32. In that moment, she’s a 19-year old girl hopelessly desperate for an out, attempting to reason with an adult. This turmoil, this conflict, helps deliver the punchline masterfully: “And now that I know, I wish you’d left me wondering”.

“Labyrinth” benefits from the stripped-down, sincere lyricism reminiscent of Fearless. Amongst quirky plane-like instrumentals and haunting falsettos, simplicities like “I’ll be getting over you my whole life” are striking. The dazed “Midnight Rain” plays off the same trick with lyrics like “I broke his heart ‘cause he was nice” and “He wanted it comfortable I wanted that pain”, although its uniqueness appeal stems from the production that many fans find to be a nod to the 1975. Downpitched vocal effects, snappy beats, isolated synths all contribute to the calm, collected feel “Midnight Rain” succeeds at.

As for the much-anticipated feature, “Snow On The Beach”, while I would have appreciated a Lana del Rey verse, I would also argue that the track is already overwhelmingly Lana-esque. The playful yet grounded melody of the chorus loosely references the unreleased “TV in Black And White”, while the lyrics showcase a juxtaposed combination of conversational and cinematic, a chief principle in the Lana del Rey storm. I picture Lana and Taylor in the studio, Lana taking over for lines like “stars by the pocketful”, “weird but fuckin’ beautiful”, and “your eyes are flying saucers from another planet”.

While the remaining tracks don’t quite stand out to me as favorites, they aren’t any less artful or skilled. Midnights is a strongly cohesive concept album, embodying “love and fear”, “turmoil and tears”, and the tossing and turning that leaves us with nothing but ourselves.