At midnight on Friday October 21, 2022 American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released her tenth studio album, fittingly named Midnights. 

At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, Swift announced this new album, which she described to social media as “the story of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” Midnights is her fifth release in just over two years and her first body of new work since her 2020 albums, Folklore and Evermore.

Swift’s new album Midnights full tracklist includes:

1. “Lavender Haze”
2. “Maroon”
3. “Anti-Hero”
4. “Snow on the Beach” ft. Lana Del Rey
5. “You’re on Your Own, Kid”
6. “Midnight Rain”
7. “Question…?”
8. “Vigilante S—“
9. “Bejeweled”
10. “Labyrinth”
11. “Karma”
12. “Sweet Nothing”
13. “Mastermind”

Swift also released 7 additional tracks titled “3 a.m” at, you guessed it, 3 a.m later that morning. This deluxe version of the album consists of:

1. “The Greater War”
2. “High Infidelity”
3. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
4. “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”
5. “Paris”
6. “Glitch”
7. “Dear Reader”

Midnights starts off with a very energetic, euphoric feeling in her song “Lavender Haze.” In interviews, Swift says the, “inspiration for the song came from watching Mad Men,” a hit TV series that explores, among many things, identity, and the yin and yang of humanity. The series explores how people show different versions and parts of themselves depending on their surroundings.

“I happened upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching Mad Men,” shared Swift in a recent video on social media. “I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love.”

On The Daily Utah Chronicle reporter Eliza Delgado described Midnights as an “electronica-dream-pop sound that perfectly matches the album’s aesthetic.”

The first lead single “Anti-Hero” deals with Swift’s self awareness and self-abhorrence. 

Keilyn Donoso, a junior at Naugatuck High School, when asked her opinion on Swift’s song “Anti-Hero” said, “It’s one of my favorites right now because I relate to it and find a lot of meaning in her lyrics.”

With lyrics “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem” and “I’ll stare into the sun, but never in the mirror.” These lyrics imply that she would rather look into the sun, despite the danger, because then she can’t see her problems, but when looking in the mirror she is forced to face them instead. This song is about struggling with one’s self and is something people can listen to and be able to connect with Swift.

Her only featured track “Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey, I personally think caused a lot of the excitement for the release of Midnights. This song is about falling in love with someone who is falling out of love with you at the same time. The beautiful melodies with Del Rey will pull listeners into this indescribable feeling making it so you feel as though you’re a part of this love story.

Swift’s sixth track “Midnight Rain,” a personal favorite, continues that dreamy euphoric feeling. The song starts with a deepened reverbed voice which is assumed to be Swift’s. This track contains the lyrics “he wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain” and “he was sunshine, I was midnight rain.” She describes the separating of a relationship due to the two having different dreams, and reminiscing on that relationship every so often.

In less than twenty-four hours after the release of Midnights, in a single day it became the most-streamed album on Spotify and set the record on Apple Music for biggest pop album.

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Swift wrote. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves.”

This album marks “a return to a more personal subject matter,” Entertainment said. “I don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” Swift said.

Overall, Swift doesn’t write garbage. She is beyond talented and knows what she’s doing. She never fails to write music listeners can relate to, which is partially why I think she is so successful. Time after time again she makes music history, breaking her own records. If you haven’t already I suggest you give her new album a listen because she does not disappoint.