Met Her At Midnight

It’s out folks - and I’m really digging it. Many had wondered what direction Taylor Swift would head after her previous two releases that focused more on an indie folk sound, working closely with Aaron Dessner (The National) and Bon Iver.

Working with super producer Jack Antonoff (who worked on 1989, Reputation and Lover), Swift takes a step back in time to the pop sound that she headed into after her early releases. In fact, she’s taking the best of her previous two lives, a pop star who writes as an indie hero.

According to Swift, the subject matter of Midnights was inspired by five major topics: self-hatred, revenge fantasies, "wondering what might have been", falling in love, and "falling apart". Maybe it’s tough to think of Swift and self-hatred and the wondering of what might have been - but she’s human like all of us - fame doesn’t mean there aren’t struggles. Swift opens herself up on Midnights and allows us a glimpse into what she’s thinking about late at night. Like so many of us…

“Lavender Haze” kicks off the album with a slow-go funky groove. Now, many people know Lavender Haze as a lovely cross of G-13 Haze and Lavender. It’s known for its dense flowers that usually include shades of purple. In Swift’s lyrics, she sings about her love life. A common Taylor Swift theme.

A few songs later comes my early favorite, and lead single, “Anti-Hero”. Her lyrics are some of the best she’s written it charts her exhaustion from giving in to her worst thoughts and impulses (“When my depression works the graveyard shift / All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room / I should not be left to my own devices”), and the song crescendos from slow groove to shimmy pop.

My disappointment comes from one song - one I had great hope for. “Snow On The Beach” is a bit of a clunker. The song, featuring a very underused Lana Del Ray, just never finds its way. I would have much preferred if the two singers traded verses.

In a twist (a swift twist perhaps), three hours after releasing Midnights, Swift released Midnights (3 a.m. Edition), an extended version of the LP that features seven additional songs. Some of the tracks were produced by Aaron Dessner with the others by Antonoff, including the excellent “Would’ve, Could’ve, Sould’ve”.

Count me as someone who has grown to really love what Taylor does. She’s smart about her music, about who she works with and about how to keep her fans and grow her audience. It’s really time for snobbish music lovers to appreciate what Swift has done with her career.