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Review: Taylor Swift gets dark, electric on 㽶ƵֱMidnights㽶Ƶֱ

New album makes it clear that Swift has taken a step forward in the indie-pop genre

㽶ƵֱAll of me changed like midnight,㽶Ƶֱ confesses halfway through her latest album, the aptly named and moody 㽶ƵֱMidnights.㽶Ƶֱ

It㽶Ƶֱs a moment on the electric 㽶ƵֱMidnight Rain㽶Ƶֱ that finds lyricist Swift at her best, reminding you of her unparalleled ability to make any emotion feel universal.

The song㽶Ƶֱs chorus begins: 㽶ƵֱHe was sunshine, I was midnight rain.㽶Ƶֱ And continues: 㽶ƵֱHe wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name. Chasing that fame. He stayed the same.㽶Ƶֱ Then, that lyric: 㽶ƵֱAll of me changed like midnight.㽶Ƶֱ

The sound feels experimental for Swift, opening with her own vocals artificially pitched down to an almost-unrecognizable tone. It㽶Ƶֱs among the album㽶Ƶֱs most sonically interesting, an indie-pop beat that feels reminiscent of her producer Jack Antonoff㽶Ƶֱs work on Lorde㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱMelodrama,㽶Ƶֱ but also fresh and captivating.

The song㽶Ƶֱs words, by Swift and Antonoff, are steady and detailed, but not distracting 㽶Ƶֱ allowing you to sink into the rhythm, flowing and feeling it with her.

On a self-aware Swift shows off her ability to evolve again. And in typical Swift fashion, she had more surprises up her sleeve 㽶Ƶֱ dropping and after 㽶ƵֱMidnights㽶Ƶֱ released.

For her 10th original album, the 32-year-old pop star approaches the themes she㽶Ƶֱs grown up writing about 㽶Ƶֱ love, loss, childhood, fame 㽶Ƶֱ with a maturity that comes through in sharpened vocals and lyrics focused more on her inner-life than external persona.

㽶ƵֱMidnight Rain㽶Ƶֱ could be a thesis statement for the project she㽶Ƶֱs described as songs written during 㽶Ƶֱ13 sleepless nights,㽶Ƶֱ an appropriate approach to the concept album for someone who has long had a lyrical appreciation for late nights (think 㽶ƵֱStyle㽶Ƶֱ: 㽶Ƶֱmidnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ). Of course, she㽶Ƶֱs centered her work around themes before 㽶Ƶֱ on 㽶ƵֱRed,㽶Ƶֱ an ode to the color and the emotions it stands for, 㽶Ƶֱreputation,㽶Ƶֱ a vindictive reconfiguring of her own, and most recently on 㽶Ƶֱfolklore㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶Ƶֱevermore,㽶Ƶֱ quarantine albums that expressed vulnerability in ways only isolation could.

But Swift presents 㽶ƵֱMidnights㽶Ƶֱ as something different: a collection of songs that don㽶Ƶֱt necessarily have to go together, but fit together because she has declared them products of late night inspiration. Positioning listeners situationally 㽶Ƶֱ in the quiet but thoughtful darkness of night 㽶Ƶֱ instead of thematically, feels like a natural creative experiment for a songwriter so prolific that her albums have become synonymous with the pop culture zeitgeist.

And with that, comes a tone that is just a little darker, a little more experimental, and always electric.

Track one, 㽶ƵֱLavender Haze,㽶Ƶֱ pairs a muffled club beat and high-pitched backing vocals from Antonoff with stand-out, beckoning melody from Swift. 㽶ƵֱMaroon㽶Ƶֱ is a grown-up and weathered version of 㽶ƵֱRed,㽶Ƶֱ a dive into lost love with rich descriptions of rust, spilled wine, red lipstick 㽶Ƶֱ images Swift is reconjuring with more bite.

㽶ƵֱLabyrinth㽶Ƶֱ makes clear she㽶Ƶֱs carried the best of her previous pop experiments with her 㽶Ƶֱ the synth of 㽶Ƶֱ1989㽶Ƶֱ and the softer alternative sounds of 㽶Ƶֱfolklore㽶Ƶֱ 㽶Ƶֱ as she admits as only a songwriter can that a heartbreak 㽶Ƶֱonly feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind,㽶Ƶֱ on top of a track featuring Bon Iver-esque electronic trills.

Swift shines when she is able to marry her signature lyrical musings with this new arena of electronic beats. And while this isn㽶Ƶֱt another album of acoustic indie sounds like 㽶Ƶֱfolklore,㽶Ƶֱ it is clear that Swift has taken a step forward in the indie-pop genre 㽶Ƶֱ even if it㽶Ƶֱs a step in a different direction.

The album㽶Ƶֱs weaker moments are the ones where that balance feels off. 㽶ƵֱBejeweled㽶Ƶֱ is a bit too candy sweet, with lyrics that feel like an updated, glittery take on 㽶ƵֱME!㽶Ƶֱ The much anticipated 㽶ƵֱSnow On The Beach,㽶Ƶֱ featuring Lana Del Rey, is poetic, pretty, and at times cheeky, but not as emotionally deep as the lyricists㽶Ƶֱ combined power suggests it could be.

Even in those moments, 㽶ƵֱMidnights㽶Ƶֱ finds Swift comfortable in her musical skin, revealing the strengths of a sharp and ever-evolving artist who can wink through always-cryptic allusions to her very public life or subtle self-owns dispersed amidst lyrical confessions (see: 㽶ƵֱAnti-Hero㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱMastermind㽶Ƶֱ) and hook even the casual listener with an alluring, and maybe surprising, beat.

But like the love-soaked 㽶ƵֱLover,㽶Ƶֱ and and 㽶Ƶֱevermore,㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱMidnights㽶Ƶֱ feels like both a confessional and a playground, crafted by all the versions of Taylor Swift we㽶Ƶֱve gotten to know so far for a new Taylor Swift to shine. And like always, we㽶Ƶֱre just along for the thrilling late-night ride.

㽶ƵֱElise Ryan, The Associated Press





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