Reviewing Taylor Swift’s Sleepless Nights
It is pretty clear by now that Taylor Swift’s coping mechanism for the last two years of pandemic chaos was to escape. Folklore’s journey into forested folk remains Swift’s strongest showcase of her storytelling and vocal versatility, even if its follow-up Evermore could not run the same distance. Still, Midnights and its companion 3am Edition lead Taylor’s storytelling back into the bright and brutal cities she escaped. Through some misty hues of pop that, at their best, are perfectly fine, Swift’s latest project ends up feeling as bittersweet as the restless nights that inspired them.
“All they keep asking me / Is if I’m gonna be your bride”, Taylor sings on the opening track to bring the narrative straight back to the autobiographical lyrics she is infamous for. The rest of the album ebbs and flows through cutting allusions to her relationships in the spotlight–though her affinity for fictional characters from her previous two projects are not entirely left behind, as in “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” The romance on Midnights is often sweet, and its impact deep, staining Taylor a deep “Maroon.” For fans of Lover and Reputation, most of the standard edition of the album is the melodic love child of those two projects, wherein Taylor alternates between her smoky register and more fast-paced, syncopated singing. “And time can't stop me quite like you did” she admits on the highly-anticipated collaboration with Lana Del Rey. Despite the collab hitting the sweet spot of the two’s metaphors for love, the track leaves you wondering if you actually heard much of Lana at all.
The wasted potential of “Snow on the Beach” says a lot about the middle section of the standard album, as Jack Antonoff’s longtime partnership with Swift and other alt-pop artists is losing its sparkle. Certainly, this album would not even exist without Antonoff given how involved he was in helping Swift work through her midnight stories. Regardless, his presence across her discography over the last decade has stretched his ingenuity to its limit it seems. Few times does the production on any song feel particularly exciting, and at worst, it often sounds like rehashed material from previous albums. It is hard to imagine wanting to return to “Midnight Rain,” “Question…?” and “Bejeweled” more than a few times.
Of course, it is unfair to expect an entirely fresh sonic spin for every project, so one can forgive that “Anti-Hero” and “Karma” are perfect Reputation tracks. What is harder to enjoy is how flat Antonoff’s synth and downbeat pop influences fall compared to their appearances in Melodrama and 1989. Even less interesting is their attempts to capture Billie Eilish’s dark pop influences on the almost-cringe “Vigilante Shit.”
Jack’s production aside, Taylor seems to continue to lean into her glittery–if not corny–phrase work. “Sexy baby” and “Karma is a cat” lyrics at this point are not surprising, but still take you out of otherwise enjoyable tracks.
Luckily, Taylor’s “Mastermind” came in clutch with her 3am surprise of a deluxe edition for Midnights. Antonoff takes a step back for the seven tracks of this 3am Edition in favor of Aaron Dessner from Folklore and Evermore. Right from “The Great War,” Swift produces more soothing melodies over worthwhile metaphors and drops her try-hard personas. It is a shame that these B-sides can quickly overshadow the work of the standard, but “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” alone proves a better concoction of Taylor’s previous projects than tracks 1-13.
At the end of the night, Taylor is right that it is exhausting rooting for the “Anti-Hero,” especially when you know them as well as we know her. But she is also right to end the album with “I shine so bright”, because even if Midnights can’t always stick the landing, Taylor Swift continues to navigate her talent with hard-fought confidence.
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