The culmination of 13 sleepless nights created the fastest and best-selling album of 2022, Midnights. Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album is a mix of a synth-pop soundscape, as she sings about her own “journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” says Swift. 

In the weeks leading up to the album drop, Swift started a Tiktok video series called “Midnights Mayhem with Me.” These teaser videos revealed each of the 13 song titles on random midnights, slowly raising her fans’  anticipation. 

Midnights came as a complete shock to the “Swifties”, as Swift has been continuously hinting at the rewrite of her older albums- 1989 and Speak Now. The Taylor’s Version re-recordings for Fearless and Red in 2021 were very successful. It was a hit for everyone; Swift got to reclaim her art, and fans got to experience some “Swiftie” nostalgia. 

The initial reaction to the Midnights album was a mix of praise and criticism. Senior Lillie Ransom, a huge “Swiftie”, was proud of Swift for creating the album. 

“Going into Midnights, I thought it was gonna be a vibe similar to Folklore and Evermore– very melodramatic with extreme lyricism. Midnights is actually more pop, which I didn’t expect. I think that makes her stand out as an artist. She’s so versatile, and goes into many different genres,” says Ransom.

The singer-songwriter also received some critiques that all the songs on Midnights are too similar in the way they all share a sensuous electro sound, and are using the same talk-sing vocals. Some would say the album felt a little bit lackluster, which was disappointing after the hype fans perpetuated regarding Midnights. 

Swift’s new album dives into themes like anger, love, self-reflection, and breakdowns. For instance, in her song Karma, Swift touches on how karma can go both ways.

“There’s karma for the people who do you wrong, but then you get good karma for the [good] ways you treat others. I feel like a lot of people experience that. The fact that Taylor pretty much says ‘karmas my bestie, it loves me,’ I just think it’s a really cool lyric,” said Ransom. 

Each of Swift’s albums carries a certain essence that differentiates one from another. Looking at her 2017 album, Reputation, Swift is unapologetically herself with her harder-edged vibe, whereas in Lover, she is playful and lighthearted. 

With Midnights, it is a reflection of her most authentic self, where listeners can see the most mature and adult version of Swift. Fans hope to see more of this new side of Taylor, especially with her up-and-coming Eras tour.