Taylor Swift recently released her “Midnights” album, to the acclaim of many. In less than a month, 10 of the singles from “Midnights” claimed the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album sold over 1.5 million copies in its first week. 

I didn’t intend to listen to “Midnights” because I am not a pop fan nor a Swiftie; however, I acquiesced after social media and some peers advised me to do so. “Midnights” begins with “Lavender Haze” which is a light and fun song. “Lavender Haze” is one of my favorites on the album, and it is a logical choice as the first song. 

Many of the songs are nostalgic and reminiscent of Taylor’s past pop era. My favorites from the album are “Midnight Rain” and “Question…?”. “Midnight Rain” has a lo-fi beat and describes the difference and disconnect between two lovers. I like the inflections on specific words, and the switch in the beat keeps the song engaging. “Question…?” has a cool beat and discusses Taylor’s fling. Swift also switches her flow on the song “Vigilante Sh*t.”

The other songs are basic. The lead single “Anti-Hero” seems catered towards middle schoolers and is annoyingly repetitive. “Bejeweled,” with its Cinderella storyline, is not as meaningful or profound as Taylor’s other songs.

While some of the songs on “Midnights” are catchy, I would only listen to a few of them again. My main annoyance with Swift’s work is that it discusses the same subject material and has the same flow. After years, many of her songs are rudimentary and hardly showcase any improvement. The album overall is okay, but is severely overrated and not nearly as powerful as Swift’s talents allow her to be.