After the wild success of Taylor Swift’s past two albums, Folklore and Evermore, Swift is back to once again reinvent her music. Compared to the woodsy and indie tunes of her two previous albums, Midnights’ sound is more reminiscent of albums like Reputation and 1989. Swift has been known to switch genres. She first debuted as a country singer before moving onto pop music up until Folklore and Evermore, where she dabbled in indie folk. Now she’s back to pop, but in a slightly different style.

While previous pop albums from Swift feel upbeat and positive, Midnights feels much more melancholy, which seems to be the point of the album. Swift describes the album as telling “the stories of thirteen sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life,” something which Swift has definitely achieved. If you’ve ever been stuck awake in the middle of night, losing yourself in thoughts that eat at you, Midnights is the perfect representation of this, both in sound and lyricism. 

The lead single and third track of the album, “Anti-Hero,” explores these restless thoughts. While many of Swift’s songs feature love and revenge, “Anti-Hero” is a battle against herself. The song is about insecurities and “self-loathing,” one of the five themes of Midnights. Swift repeats the line “I’m the problem, it’s me” multiple times in the song, emphasizing how she feels everything is always her fault. 

Midnights is full of songs with deceiving upbeat tunes that hide the darker themes in the songs. The sound of “You’re On Your Own, Kid” feels like it should be telling the tale of a hopeful love, especially with the summer and childhood imagery it begins with. Instead the song tackles deep and raw struggles. The song starts with unrequited love, leaving home, and a budding love for songwriting. The song then moves on to the challenges Swift has faced to get where she is today, where she references a past eating disorder and how she’s fallen out with her old friends. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” seems like a message from Swift to her younger self about how you need to find support and encouragement from yourself. 

“Anti-Hero” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” stand out as some of the strongest songs on the album, but Swift’s expert lyricism does not stop here. From the soft and sweet love notes of “Sweet Nothing” and “Mastermind” to the revenge driven “Karma,” the music of Midnights does not disappoint.

Swift’s tenth studio album delivers exactly as promised. Anybody who enjoyed Reputation or 1989, but also liked the more sadder vibes of Folklore should check out Midnights. The dark and melancholy synth-pop combined with Swift’s masterful songwriting makes for one great album.