![]() ![]() ![]() It’s an early indication that Swift has for now given up being Miss Americana in favor of being Miss Not-Afraid-to-Borrow-Kendrick’s-Producer, as Sounwave makes one of a couple appearances as co-writer and co-producer alongside Jack Antonoff, who otherwise co-helms the whole thing with the star. ![]() Certain prior requirements for really massive moments in a Taylor Swift album may, in fact, have been shaken off.Ī loose template is set right at the outset with “Lavender Haze,” a loosely emo-erotic opener that makes a nod toward modern R&B, with its unassuming four-on-the-floor beat and a pretty falsetto that Swift tends to bust out nowadays when she’s feeling particularly sensual (see: “Dress,” one of the undersung highlights from “Reputation”). But if you’re looking for antecedents for “Midnights,” yes, think of “1989,” “Reputation” and “Lover” - but think of those albums’ quieter, mid-tempo-and-under moments, like “Delicate,” “Wildest Dreams,” “Clean,” even the sexy “False God,” not the bigger blowout singles that propelled those albums into the stratosphere. It might feel wrong to call these songs “bedroom pop” when they probably will be part of a stadium setlist next year. What she’s retained is a confidence in sustaining intimacy over a whole album without needing to turn it into a tour de force, and a lack of a need to chase hit singles (although “Anti-Hero” could become an odd one out of the gate - who knows?) or worry about bangers when a mid-tempo mood can be streamlined and mainlined over an entire album. She didn’t take that trip into the woods with the 2020 twin peaks of “Folklore” and “Evermore” without picking up some things she could bring back with her in a full-scale return to pop. But her return to something close to the sonic territory that filled stadiums in the mid-to-late 2010s doesn’t feel like a retreat. ![]()
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