Imagine an alternative world without the isolation of lockdowns, without the introspective world of the Covid pandemic. Imagine an alternative world without the earthy tones and pop-folk musings of folklore and evermore. Transport yourself back to 2019. Your face is aching from singing to the saccharine pop of Lover, your feet tired from dancing to the clubland dubstep beats of reputation. You pour a glass of wine and kick back onto your sofa as the needle falls onto Taylor Swift’s tenth album. Welcome to the late-night vibes of Midnights.
Midnights is not an album that seeks attention. The album isn’t full of pop hooks and dizzying bridges. Don’t expect to be grabbing your hairbrush while belting out ‘Me!’. Nor is there anything here that will feel like the warm fairytale embraces of the love triangle storytelling of ‘cardigan’. At its core, Midnights is the natural successor to reputation both sonically and thematically. Part of the problem with that album was that the sound felt messy and experimental, it also blazed with anger and bitterness. Not so, with Midnights. Despite some musical similarities—the heavy electro beats—lyrically this is more reflective. If reputation felt like a freshly uncorked bottle of revenge, Midnights is a rich fine Bordeaux that has been given time to breathe—a testament to Swift’s maturing songwriting. The album is packed with self-critical tropes and the moments of self-doubt we all suffer when night closes in. “It’s me, hi // I’m the problem, it’s me,” sings Swift on lead single ‘Anti-Hero’ and it is this self-deprecating honesty that separates the record from reputation. In a video on her Instagram page, Swift said: “Track 3, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before.”
If there is any track that highlights why this collection should be regarded as a level above reputation it is ‘Karma.’ One of the core tenets of the 2017 record was the idea of revenge and karma. However, gone is the snarling delivery from that era. Here, Swift talks about an ex-boyfriend but flips the focus. Here karma isn’t about punishment but about giving her positive experiences. Her Karma is a celebration. For all the beautiful examples, “Karma is a cat purring in my lap”, the key statement is “Ask me what I learned from all those years /. Ask me what I earned from all those tears // Ask me why so many fade but I’m still here.”
Midnights begins with ‘Lavender Haze’ where the heavy baseline makes it clear that Swift has locked the door on her folklore-era cabin. The lines “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say // No Deal // The 1950’s shit they want from me,” feels like a finger to the media’s misogynistic obsession with her love life. At its heart, the song is an ode to the “Lavender haze” she feels being in love, perfectly wrapped in a smokey blend of subdued synths, spoken words and soft falsetto vocals. Jack Antonoff co-produced the album but his influence is as subtle as the sound changes between each track.
There are no sudden change-ups on the album. Neither is this a self-indulgent bore-fest of electronic mood music. Swift is challenging herself and her audience. Despite the long list of sweet cocktail hits, Swift has always been one for depth and for making her fanbase think. Whether through cryptic clues, Easter eggs or layers of meanings, the singer has never been one-dimensional. Midnights is a deep shimmering red wine, with layers of subtle musical changes and nuanced lyrics.
We have the deep smokey ambience of the appropriately named ‘Maroon’, about a past relationship: “The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me // And how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet.” Or the much darker ‘Vigilante Shit’, which plays out as a near-spoken word track with minimal intermittent brushes of electronic beats. It’s a song which would have felt at home on another Antonoff-produced album, Florence + the Machine’s Dance Fever. It also highlights a darker side to Swift’s midnight musings: “I don’t start shit, but I can tell you how it ends // Don’t get sad, get even.”
Read More: Album Review: Dance Fever // Florence + The Machine
There are moments when Swift shifts the wine glass and the light catches the softer hues. ‘Snow On The Beach’ features Lana del Rey, somewhat underused, in a breezy track where subtle twinkling guitars cut through the familiar deep beats. Similarly, ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ ups the tempo, one of the tracks which harks back to the Swift of old with pop stippled guitar. With the concept of the album representing midnights throughout the singer’s life, it is unsurprising to see some tracks take on the lyrical style and sound from a different era.
The true beauty of Midnights is the overall cohesive atmosphere of the piece. The late-night mood is retained throughout with a reliance on steady electronic beats. Sometimes it feels like a conversation with a friend—even a confessional (‘Labyrinth’)—and other times we enter Swift’s midnight mind. Tracks such as the Blank Spacesque ‘Questions…?’ fall into the former category. This is a fun but clever reflection on past indiscretions with some surprising lyrics: “She was on your mind with some dickhead guy that you saw that night.” Others, such as ‘Bejewelled’ feel like she is talking to herself. With a punchy staccato delivery and sparkly synth rhythm similar to ‘Call It What You Want’, ‘Bejewelled’ is a confident midnight moment with Swift exclaiming “When I walk in the room I can still make the whole place shimmer”.
There are two flavours of the album. The original thirteen-track version feels darker. The extended 3am version adds a further seven tracks and adds more balance. However, in doing so the record doesn’t feel quite as tight and some tracks alter the soundscape. For example, ’High Infidelity’ has a ‘Last Great American Dynasty’ vibe to it and spoils the hushed late-night tone of the album. Conversely, ‘Dear Reader’ feels like the perfect close to the album. ‘Dear Reader’ feels like Swift is fighting her overthinking late-night mind, “You should find another guiding light, guiding light // But I shine so bright”.
There is a message for all of us in this album. As we each remember the ghosts of those midnight moments—loneliness, regrets, love—Taylor Swift reminds us that they define who we are. And, that we are still here, just as she is on her most thoughtful album to date.
Words by: Andrew Butcher
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