Taylor Swift released her long-awaited tenth album on Oct 21, 2022. The album, Midnights, chronicles stories of thirteen sleepless nights throughout her life. The sound of the album was highly debated prior to release night. Her most recent two releases were re-recorded albums and before that, she released sister albums folklore and evermore, born out of quarantine isolation. Thus, it was highly unclear as to what direction she was going to take; would she follow in the folksy footsteps of her quarantine sister albums, take the pure pop direction of her last pre-COVID album Lover, or pivot to a new genre as she had done previously in her career?

Midnights turned out to be an electronic synth-pop album with a grungy edge to it. Swift frequently utilizes her lower register throughout the album, giving it a cool, dark sound reminiscent of its eponymous time, midnight. There are also more fun, upbeat songs like Bejeweled and Karma which provide an auditory contrast to the rest of the album. The lyrics of Midnights are highly introspective, providing insight into the inner workings of Taylor Swift’s mind. A wide variety of topics are covered on the album, including self-loathing, falling in love, revenge, and loss. The album as a whole perfectly encompasses the feeling of being up at midnight and the various things that cross your mind during the bewitching hour.

Midnight Rain is a clear standout song that immediately jumps out. The intro to the song is startling, beginning with a highly distorted, deep mix of Swift’s voice emphasizing the word “rain”, which continues into the chorus of the song. Midnight Rain is extremely catchy and its unique chorus with strong vocal effects sets it apart from the other songs. The verses are sultry and slow and packed with masterful lyricism. The song sounds completely different from any song Swift has released before, but at the same time, it still fits perfectly within her discography.

Another fan favorite on the album is Snow on the Beach featuring Lana del Rey. The song is airy, light, and wistful. Taylor and Lana’s voices blend together beautifully, almost morphing together during certain parts of the song. Although Lana does not have her own solo verse, her voice supplements the song in a subtle way that brings the song to the next level. Snow on the Beach is the perfect unification of the lyric styles and sonic penchants of Taylor Swift and Lana del Rey.

Midnights is a masterful album that encompasses the emotions and sentiments that arise on sleepless nights. The album represents Taylor Swift’s return to pop music as a genre after releasing indie folk albums evermore and folklore. Midnights has already broken many records, most notably occupying all ten of the top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever. The album is a huge commercial success as well as an artistic triumph.