CNN
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Taylor Swift is backing late nights with her first original album in two years.
The 11-time Grammy winner unveiled her 10th studio album, “Midnights,” on Friday, following a surprise announcement at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
Swift, who is currently reviewing her early albums in a bid to regain ownership of work she released under her former label Big Machine Records, has transitioned from the folk-rock sound of 2020’s “Folklore” and “Evermore” to something more mainstream. .
“Midnights is a collage of intensity, ups and downs and ebbs and flows,” he told fans on social networks following the release. “Life can be dark, starry, cloudy, scary, electric, hot, cold, romantic, or lonely. Like Midnight. Which is out now.
When “Swifties” rushed to Spotify to listen to the record at midnight, the streaming giant experienced overwhelming traffic and users reported outages around the world.
But despite initial glitches, the 13-track album, almost entirely written, produced and performed by Swift’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, is already a hit with fans.
I can’t stop listening to Midnights. This whole album is amazing! You are so cool @taylorswift13!” a fan wrote on Twitter.
Another said: “Taylor Swift was such a tough mom to Midnights that no one will ever come close to her level of awesomeness. This woman is not only a talented writer but also a smart musician. I never doubted her.
Music critics were just as enthusiastic about the album, although some noted its dull tone.
Awarding “Midnights” a five-star rating, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian describes the sound as “pop rich in self-loathing and stereotype-busting” and “hazy, atmospheric and tastefully subdued”.
She adds that: “Midnights firmly delivers what she called the ‘folk forest’ of her last two albums back to electronic pop.”
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Petridis also noted that Swift’s much talked about collaboration with Lana Del Rey, “Snow on the Beach,” is “beautifully done, a perfect genetic splice between their two musical styles with a beautiful melody, but it’s a far cry from a grand pinnacle.” between two pop icons: there’s a surprising lightness about it, an understated fusion of their voices.”
According to Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos, Swift’s new album “picks up where 1989’s pure pop triptych Reputation and Lover left off, a dazzling bath of synths complementing lyrics caught between a love story and a plot of revenge.” ”.
For LA Times pop critic Mikael Wood, the songwriting and vocal performances on “Midnights” carry the album.
“She’s playing with cadence and emphasizing the grain of her voice like never before…you eventually stop caring about what’s drawn directly from Swift’s real life and what isn’t,” he writes.
Giving “Midnights” 8 out of 10, Matthew Neale of the Clash Music website writes that the album “feels voyeuristic in its exposition and unabashed in its execution”.
“Defined by the dark nights of the soul and cast in the same bluish-purple hues, ‘Midnights’ offers little revealing purpose for those yet to succumb to Swift’s charms,” he explained. “However, for those already influenced by her craft, it can be reasonably credited as her best album to date.”
