Taylor Swift’s long-awaited album, “Midnights,” dropped at midnight on Oct. 21st, true to the theme referenced in its title. At first, the songs are very distinctive and distant from the way her music usually sounds. While each of her albums has a different disposition, this one was far from speculations about how it would have sounded. 

Swift co-wrote the album with her longtime producing partner Jack Antonoff. “Midnights” also includes collaborators like Lana Del Rey, Zoë Kravitz, Swift’s boyfriend alter ego and William Bowery who along with Antonoff helped Swift create a few tracks on her previous albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore.”  

While listening to the album, fans received a huge surprise of bonus songs just a couple of hours after the album’s release. The bonus tracks from the album had the help of four co-writes as well as the guitarist/composer from The National giving those songs a more recognizable hint of Swift. The National is a band that Swift has worked with in the past.

Starting strong, the first track, “Lavender Haze,” alludes to the expression often used to describe being in love. Swift uses the phrase to characterize her relationship with her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Since Swift has faced a lot of criticism regarding her dating patterns and past relationships, this album is very significant because of how secretive Swift has been about her past relationships. This album gives us an inside look at a relationship filled with trust, relationship problems and staying strong against media assumptions. 

In contrast, a later track titled “Anti Hero” exposes Swift’s inner depression and fear of being emotionally broken. Lyrics in the song reference drama she faced in the past with well-known celebrities and how their encounters impacted her public image. One of the most popular songs on the album, this track was the first to receive a music video from the album. Swift quickly faced criticism from fans concerning a scene in the video that depicts Swift stepping on a scale and the weight showing the word “fat.” Many (fans and nonfans) accused Swift of being fatphobic, but the purpose of it was to show her struggles in her life. Swift has struggled with eating disorders so the purpose of it was to show an inner look at how she sees herself. That scene has now been edited, however, it is still important to address issues relating to body image and fatphobia. 

The bejeweled music video hints at what the upcoming album will be; most think it will be a re-release of Swift’s album “Speak Now.” In the most recent news of the album, Taylor Swift announced she will go on an “eras”  tour throughout 2023.