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Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album has been drawing the eyes and ears of music lovers around the world, as she embarks on a journey of nocturnal contemplation in the concept record.
Inspired by the “sleepless nights” of Taylor’s life, Midnights is a cryptic confession, ruminating on themes like anxiety, insecurity, self-criticism, self-awareness, insomnia, and self-confidence.
In a series of videos released alongside the drop of the new album, Taylor revealed five things that kept her up at night and inspired Midnights - self-loathing, fantasising about revenge, wondering what might have been, falling in love and falling apart.
The album, starts off with Lavender Haze, inspired by Taylor’s love life when she and her partner, English actor Joe Alwyn had to protect their relationship from media scrutiny.
The single on everyone’s playlist this autumn is Anti-Hero, in which Taylors details her insecurities.
Meanwhile, in Snow on the Beach, featuring Lana Del Ray, delves into the flurry of emotions felt as a couple fall in love with each other.
Musically, Swift experiments with electronica, dream pop, bedroom pop and chill-out music styles in the album, moving away from the alternative folk sound of her 2020 releases for a return to synth-pop with subtle grooves, vintage synthesisers and hip hop/R&B rhythms.
In writing the album, Taylor worked with long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff, writing 11 of the 13 tracks together.
The concept album, which must be listened to as a whole work instead of individual tracks, has drawn acclaim from music critics, who have lauded its restrained production, candid songwriting, and vocal cadences.
The standard edition of Midnights consists of 13 tracks. The deluxe CD adds three bonus songs, of which two are remixes, while Midnights (3am Edition), available only on digital and streaming platforms, adds seven other bonus tracks.
