Last night, at midnight EST, Taylor Swift dropped her tenth studio album, fittingly titled “Midnights.” Leading up to the release, Swift dropped the names of Midnight’s 13 tracks in a series of short videos, called “Midnight Mayhem with Me.” The last track name was revealed on October 7th, so, for the last 14 days fans have been left in suspense, patiently awaiting the album release. 

Swift originally announced “Midnights” and its concept at the VMAs, after winning three awards for her “All Too Well” short film. Swift revealed that her tenth studio album would be a collection of 13 songs she wrote on 13 different sleepless nights of her life. Fans quickly began to theorize what this could mean. Would each song be reminiscent of a different era? Swift’s eighth and ninth studio albums had been primarily folk music, would “Midnights” follow suit? Or would “Midnights” mark Swift’s return to pop? And, my personal favorite theory, would “Midnights” be the long lost sister album to “Reputation,” Swift’s sixth studio album? After an agonizingly long wait, these questions have been answered, and, per usual, Taylor Swift did not disappoint. 

After listening, it’s clear “Midnights” is a pop album, reminiscent of Swift’s fifth and sixth studio albums, “1989” and “Reputation.” The track list is combination of touching love ballads, like “Sweet Nothing” and “Labyrinth,” moments of self reflection in “Anti Hero,” and, of course, a little bit of revenge, as seen in “Karma” and “Vigilante Sh*t.” 

The best part of this album, however, was its surprises. As if the 13 tracks weren’t enough, three hours after the initial release, Swift revealed seven unannounced additional tracks, and called them the “3am Tracks.” Among these songs are some of my personal favorites from the album, such as “Paris” and “Bigger Than The Whole Sky.” 

With the concept of this album being songs from 13 of Swift’s sleepless nights, my main concern was the cohesiveness of the album. How could 13 songs from 13 separate nights, possibly written in 13 different years, fit together on one album? The answer: their production.

 Though each song from “Midnights” tells a different story, they are all tied together through their production. The emotions portrayed in each song vary, from love to hate, from happiness to anger, from self-loathing to acceptance, and yet each song shares similarities in their production. This way, though the stories they tell differ, the songs all have a common thread, and you can clearly tell they’re all from the same album. Though for some songs, especially “Midnight Rain,” I would have prefered a different arrangement, the consistency in production is what ties the album together.

Overall, I enjoyed this album immensely. It’s not my favorite from Taylor Swift, but the concept was unique and executed very well. The build up to the release got everyone talking, and the album was so highly anticipated that Spotify crashed the minute it came out.  

The detail in each of the songs and the storytelling behind each sleepless night, made me feel like I knew Swift personally. The whole album feels like a late night talk with your best friend, recounting your fears and anxieties, as well as inside jokes and favorite memories. After “Midnights” there is no doubt in my mind that Taylor Swift will not be going away or slowing down anytime soon, and that her songwriting ability and creativity remain unparalleled in the music industry today.