by Kate King(’26)

Cover Image: Publicist

After two years of waiting for a new album, Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights has finally arrived. Consisting of 13 songs, it has been one of the biggest albums of all time breaking numerous worldwide records with its release. Midnights is essentially the last part of a series of three albums, following her two albums from 2020, Folklore and Evermore. All the releases on her “sister” albums follow her through a self-reflective journey through the music industry. She speaks on numerous personal struggles that she has fought, while still having a few songs that speak of positivity, making Midnights one of her most versatile albums. 

Although on numerous other albums Swift has spoken about mental health problems that she has faced, Midnights contrasts them by bringing a different, more mature tone. 

Specifically, on her track “Anti-Hero” Swift speaks about how she felt dealing with body image struggles while still trying to please those in the public eye. The track is heavy, and melancholy and leaves listeners with a powerful message: love yourself for who you are. She reveals this when she says, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me”. This powerful line implies that by holding ourselves to unrealistic, unattainable standards we create a fake sense of reality that generates self-induced problems. Acceptance and acknowledgment of this other “Anti-hero” can release us of this hold and allow us to focus on the positive aspects of life; not the negative. Her message truly radiates through the rest of her songs, all sharing important lessons she has learned through her journey in the music industry. 

She also speaks about relationships through her album in a new, different way than we’ve seen before. One of the best depictions of this is in her song “Bejeweled” where she touches on the end of one of her relationships. She does so in an uplifting powerful tone where calls out her ex while still standing her ground. In the first line of the song she says in an angsty tone, “Baby love, I think I’ve been a little too kind,” portraying the end of her relationship with her former partner. Throughout the entire song, she keeps the same tone addressing the end of her relationship in a new unique way, different from her other songs. She does this similarly in her other song “Sweet Nothing”, where she talks about seeing the end of a relationship before it’s officially over. For the entire song, she keeps repeating the line “They said the end is coming”, describing how everyone around her knows that she’s ready for something new, but she still keeps running back wanting different results. 

Standout songs from the Album: 

1. “Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)”
2. “Anti-Hero”
3. “Bejeweled”
4. “Mastermind”
5. “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

Midnights, Taylor Swift’s 10th album is her most mature album yet, tackling her mental health struggles in numerous different tones. She manages to teach important life lessons through her struggles in the music industry. All of the songs on her album have a uniqueness to them while still managing to stay true to herself as an artist.