Taylor Swift’s latest album, Midnight, received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans alike, although there are some who argue aspects have regressed from her older albums.
In Midnights, Swift explores a songwriting experiment about thirteen midnights, and the reasons why someone would be up at that hour. It overall matches her familiar sounds but mixes in more synthetic sounds than previous albums feature.
The album opened with Lavender Haze, a Lover-era song about finding a safe partner, and the dichotomy in straight relationships where there is a Madonna-Whore complex, summarized with the phrase, “they either want a one-night stand or a bride.”
Swift has frequently addressed feminist themes in her work, using the theory to elaborate her personal experience. She addresses a similar framework in another album song Midnight Rain.
Midnight Rain used a synthetic voice that contrasts Swift’s past vocal styles, but the structure of the song remains familiar to her regular style. The electronic vocal manipulation was also included in the background of multiple other sounds, but it is most prominent in Midnight Rain.
Swift’s lived experience is also highlighted in her song Anti-Hero, which deals with the idea that someone is their own worst enemy. The language throughout touches on some trending conversations about living in a villain era, and the imposter syndrome that comes with success.
In fact, across the album, Midnights acknowledges some of the criticism Swift has received for causing drama in her private and public life. Sonically, Midnights parallels past albums and expands Swift’s continuing autobiography, a change from her previous two albums Folklore and Evermore.
