She said to meet her at midnight, and we definitely did. With a distinct, dreamy, ‘80s electronica feel, Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, “Midnights,” sets a mature, nostalgic, and comfortable atmosphere compared to her other albums. 

“Midnights” released on Oct. 21, 2022 at, you guessed it, exactly midnight, with 13 tracks. Notably, the album broke the record for becoming the first artist in the 64-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to occupy all 10 spots on the chart, and sold 1.2 million album units in the US during the first three days of its release.

While listening, I observed that “Midnights” is an experience reminiscent of its predecessors “Reputation” and “folklore,” with the sounds of “Lover” and “1989” combined. Alluring melodies and synthpop shed the bubblegum-pop and country image Swift has created, building a newer, sensible yet vulnerable persona.

Songs such as “Anti-Hero” depict Swift’s inner self-hatred, calling herself “the problem” and implying her struggles with sleeping and eating. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” deals with harsh realities of drifting away from friends while finding love and a place in this world.

When first listening to the album, I could tell it would be one of those albums that would slowly put me to sleep, but in a good way. Swift’s voice, “sweet like honey,” flows softly into all the tracks, causing me to drift away into a small, cozy room with gauzy white curtains and an everlasting golden hour breeze. “Midnights” is comfortable, like a second home, and feels like a “Sweet Nothing” Swift is whispering into our ears.

A message announcing her album read: “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” I felt like I had been transported back to different love songs in different eras, and now Swift is rewriting them, as if  reflecting on her past years, or showing us a side of her that she wasn’t able to release in an album. Swift’s upcoming tour is titled “The Eras Tour,” a nod to the different eras of her discography.

A part of the album I was really looking forward to was the collaboration between Swift and Lana Del Rey on the track “Snow On The Beach.” I expected mindblowing harmonies and a bridge only song-architects like Swift and Lana could build, but I was disappointed. “Snow On The Beach” features 98% Swift’s vocals and Del Rey as perhaps 2% backing track. But like all of Swift’s other songs, it grew on me with each listen. It’s something vastly different from her whole discography, and is similar to a Blow Pop. It takes many licks to get to the center, the good part. You have to take your time to listen, or you won’t understand, which is true for many of Swift’s recent albums.