Midnights Review <333

Taylor Swift has done it again - she's blown up the universe.

If you have yet to turn on the radio or tried to buy overpriced resale tickets, then you probably don't understand what I'm talking about. Here are the highlights for those goons that have been sleepwalking through "Taylor Swift Autumn." Yep, I named it that.

A month ago, on October 21, Swift released her 10th album and 11th Billboard No. 1, Midnights. To top it off, she's released two music videos and announced a world tour.

Midnights is unlike anything I would've, could've, or should've expected (get it.) It's irrevocably fierce and unapologetic yet still gut-wrenchingly authentic. A wide assortment of complex perspectives, moods, and emotions are included. And once again, no one does angry girl like Taylor Swift. There's something so intimate about the record and not in an Evermore, Folklore, singer-songwriter way. It's messy. Songs on this album contain confusing intrusive thoughts with lyricism that isn't cookie-cutter or cozy. Instead, this album is for those who don't quite understand their feelings. All they know is it isn't 100% healthy.

I could spend a lifetime breaking down every song, every word, every synth beat. Consider this my proof of being a genuinely feral fan. Taylor, wherever you are, please sell me tickets.

The album takes a bold start with "Lavender Haze," a delicate sledgehammer of a song, immediately introducing us to the Midnights' aesthetic. Something about it reminds me of driving at night, the excitement of plans brewing in your stomach, the goosebumps covering your skin as you try to keep your eyes on the road. Swift reminisces her Lover days with this track, reeling her fans with "False God" innuendos and "I Think He Knows" beat drops. But don't be fooled; this isn't a Brendon Urie, The Chicks, rainbows, and sunshine pt.2. This is Taylor Swift, for heaven's sake; It's always more profound than what you think.

My highlights of the album include the jaw-dropping "Bejeweled" and the paradoxical "Question...?" With "Bejeweled," Swift finally sets herself free from her "Tolerate It" prison, accepting her fate of being anything but his. It's empowering but not in an obnoxiously feminist way. It's just cool as hell. "Question...?" was a song title I had concerns about, and I was right to be worried. This song hit deep, full of hypotheticals and unanswered promises. It's desperate lyrically but demanding instrumentally, making it a whole lot of madness. These were my instant two favorites; love at first listening.

One hot take (maybe) is my disappointment with "Snow On The Beach." As a Lana Del Rey stan, I was looking forward to a blissful union of her and Taylor's voices. Sadly, I was presented with this song that I can't even tell Lana's on until the final 30 seconds. It's still a pleasant song to listen to. Just different from what I had hoped for.

"Snow On The Beach" is my only complaint with the album, I swear. I particularly love "Sweet Nothing" and the cottage-core imagery I associate with it. To me, "Sweet Nothing" is "Ivy" grown up, having escaped the sick husband to run away with the side piece. That was not the most eloquent way to say that but whatever. The lyric, "On the way home/I wrote a poem/You say, "what a mind"/This happens all the time," has got to be one of my favorite Swift verses. The pure authenticity of such a minute detail adds even more romantic charm to the song, making it a fan fav.

One of the best things about Midnights is the diversity between tracks. I can't get over "Sweet Nothing" being right after "Karma" and "Midnight Rain" following my favorite song on the album "You're On Your Own Kid."

"You're On Your Own Kid" might be the perfect song for an almost high school graduate. It was destined for 18-year-olds everywhere. The scenes she builds create a scrapbook of old memories with torn pages and burnt edges. Some were ripped out entirely, only to be stitched back in later when she realized it was time for her to accept them. I feel like I'm moving 100 miles a minute when I listen to this song, like every happy, disturbing, monumental, and depressing moment I've ever had is flashing before my eyes. The bridge has to be the best part. She wrote an entire documentary in that bridge. Here's a breakdown:

"From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes/I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this," is young Taylor working hard and moving with her family to Nashville. This is country Taylor at work. "I hosted parties and starved my body/Like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss," is 1989 Taylor struggling with body dysmorphia and trying to make love last.

"The jokes weren't funny; I took the money/My friends from home don't know what to say" is so Reputation Taylor. Are you kidding me? She's angry, seeking revenge; she's paying Karma to do its job. "I looked around in a blood-soaked gown/And I saw something they can't take away," is Lover as Taylor repairs her broken heart and finds peace.

"'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned/Everything you lose is a step you take," This is Folklore/Evermore Taylor when she's focusing more on her songwriting than making everyone else happy with a pop album. She's in quarantine, taking her time to do what she wants with her music.

"So make the friendship bracelets/Take the moment and taste it/You've got no reason to be afraid," This is Midnights Taylor looking back on everything she's done, the good and the bad. Instead of warning us about what not to do, she looks us directly in the face and tells us we have no reason to be afraid. That's it. That's all she wrote.

It's hard not to want to talk about every song on this album. I could write a book debriefing the number of syllables Swift decided to include on this album. I'll leave you with this: The 3 AM tracks.

One of the biggest surprises on the album was "Glitch." It's an earworm and a line of crack cocaine. Something about the sounds in the background makes it slightly eerie. The acappella section is mind-blowingly attention-seeking. It makes you pause whatever you're doing for those 15 seconds of pure demand. I swear "Paris" is a sequel to "Starlight." It's so "Dancing With Our Hands Tied," "Enchanted," and "Today Was A Fairytale" to me. But the real star of the extended tracks is my favorite: "Would've, Could've, Should've." Suddenly Swift is 19 again, pleading to abandon a "Treacherous" love, begging for the chess game to end. I'm calling this song "Dear John's" adult counterpart, vouching for teenage mistreatment by Mr. Mayer. "Illicit Affairs" has absolutely nothing on this song. Fun fact: angst wasn't even an emotion until Taylor wrote this song. There's no way she hadn't already written this song in 2011. Everything about it screams that part of the movie when the female heroine gets out of the messy relationship and is slowly repairing the rest of her life. She goes to her 9-to-5 every day, working to make her own money, rent her own apartment, and adopt that dog she's always wanted.

In conclusion, I have much more to say about and to Taylor. First of all, Taylor, loml, please give me a concert ticket. I'd sell one of my organs. The monopolization of Ticketmaster is a conversation for a later date. There aren't enough words to gush about this album. I didn't mention the fascinating self-deprecating lyricism to "Mastermind," but oh well. For now, I leave you with this. I hope you enjoyed something different from a ranked list. Rock on. Oh, and Taylor, expect me outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 28.