By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer
At midnight on October 21, Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album “Midnights”, to a world who had long been awaiting her return. Under the power of a dedicated fanbase, “Midnights” crashed Spotify upon its release and sold over a million copies in just one week. For Swifties everywhere, “Midnights” was the culmination of everything that Swift represented: love, heartbreak, self-realization, and raw, personal emotion.
But what exactly makes “Midnights” a distinctly Taylor Swift album? For one, the usage of musical elements from Swift’s previous music breathes both new life and nostalgia into her latest tracks, reviving the pieces of Swift eras long gone.
In “Anti-Hero”, Swift embraces the gated reverb, a muted electronically modified drum sound that originated from the 1980s. As a result, the song becomes reminiscent of her 1989 album, her previous ode to the funky pop of the 80s. She juxtaposes the upbeat pop melody with lyrics about how her own self-confidence wavers in her day-to-day life. Her music video portrays two versions of herself that interact with each other in a mentor-mentee relationship, where one Swift teaches the other about the cynicism and the fact that she, herself, is the problem in all of her relationships. At the end, three Swifts convene on a rooftop to share a drink, resolving her struggles with self-esteem with a simple toast.
This interaction between multiple versions of herself isn’t contained to just “Anti-Hero” however. Swift also addresses herself again in “You’re On Your Own, Kid” which initially appears to be about her naivete as a young woman and the bitterness that she has developed in her later years. However, later in the song, Swift subverts her original narrative by saying that her independence is actually a strength that’ll allow her to move past any moment by herself as she sings, “You’re on your own, kid. Yeah, you can face this. You’re on your own kid. You always have been.” Swift fans who can recall the song “Fifteen” from her namesake album will immediately spot the similarities to the ending of “Fifteen” where she tells her former 15-year-old self to “Take a deep breath girl. Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors.” The theme of her future self reassuring her former self of their resilience pervades throughout her experiences and journey as a musician.
In “Snow On The Beach” (ft. Lana Del Rey), Swift and Rey sing about dreamlike romances and surreal moments during love. Both of them have a light, airy melody line that aligns with the theme about being in the hypnotic clutches of love. Combined with the soft, lower-pitched instrumentals that accompany their voices, this song sounds a little bit like it belongs in her “Evermore” and “Folklore” albums. She utilizes the same gentle rhythms and tender percussion to give “Snow On The Beach” a comforting, warmer feeling.
And perhaps the most obvious nod to her former music is the song “Vigilante Sh–” The spoken, monotone words followed by a bass drop is definitely an element that she explored in her “Reputation” album. Knowing that “Reputation” embodied the idea of being a “bad b—-,” it’s no surprise that the message of “Vigilante Sh–” is all about revenge and independence.
But even despite the wide range of musical elements and themes, Swift wraps her Midnights album nicely with one overarching theme: the simultaneous ending and beginning of her journey. She reflects on her previous experiences (“Midnight Rain” and “Question..?”) but also notes the direction that she wants to move forward (“Labyrinth” and “Lavender Haze”). And perhaps there has never been anything more “Taylor Swift” than to know that reflection does not trap a person in the past, but instead, gives them an avenue to move forward.