At midnight sharp on October 21st, Taylor Swift released her tenth album, appropriately titled Midnights.

Swift originally announced this album at the Video Music Awards. While thanking her fans for her award “I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that… that my brand new album comes out October 21st,” she enthused. This led to months of 12 AM TikToks, thousands of fan theories, and surprise merchandise.

After a long anticipated release, the album was well worth the wait.

Swift started by releasing each track name one by one on TikTok. This series was called “Midnights Mayhem with Me.” These videos came out at midnight sharp which is a play on the release of the album. Once the 13 song titles were released, including a surprise feature with Lana Del Ray, Swift posted a iktok including a week long calendar revealing there would be a special “very chaotic” surprise. This turned out to be seven additional songs including one that can only be bought at Target.

Listening to the album for the first time, it was clear it was a strong album; however, after my second listen, I grew even fonder of it.

The first track on the album is “Lavender Haze.” It's a great song to lead off with. It has a stronger beat than some of the other songs on the album and is more upbeat. Initially, I gave it an 8/10. I was expecting a lead off to be more mellow but I was pleasantly surprised. After another listen, I came to love this song. I now give it a 9/10, my fifth on my overall ranking of the original 13 songs.

Following “Lavender Haze” is “Maroon.” Considering “Maroon” is one of DHS’ school colors, I had a feeling this bias would make it one of my favorites, and I was not wrong. “Maroon” was the first 10/10 on the album. Swift’s lyrics felt very related and painted a clear picture. It has a smooth flow to it and allows for a deeper understanding. Every listen is enjoyable and I continue to listen to it on repeat. It sits at number two in the ranking.

The next song is “Anti-Hero.” This was a heavily anticipated song by fans and in my humble opinion, could’ve been better. After my first listen, I became bored with it. It has a great beat, but the lyrics weren’t something that initially connected with me. I gave it a 7. However, after a second listen, I couldn’t see how wrong I was. I focused on the meaning of the lyrics and allowed them to resonate with me. This jolted the song up to a 9/10. The song was also the first to receive a music video at 8 am on the 21st. This music video created quite a stir initially at its release but seemed to calm down leaving it now at 25 million streams. This song in now seventh on my list.

“Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Ray is fourth. This song is gorgeous. It has beautiful lyrics and the pace of the song is perfect. I gave it a 9/10 only because, like many, I was expecting to hear more from Lana Del Ray. Although featured on the song, many were hoping she would’ve had a more prominent role in the piece. She mainly sang backup vocals leaving many fans upset. However, this led to what once was a beautiful song, to become disappointing. For that, it is ranked eighth on my list.

The fifth song is titled “You’re on Your Own, Kid.” This one instantly makes me think of going off to college. A lot of it is about growing and not having people around you that you are familiar with. I think as a senior in high school, it creates a strong connection with my soon to be future. I give this song a 9/10 and rank it fourth on my overall list. Not a lyric in this song was a miss.

“Midnight Rain” was a song I had highly anticipated. I was expecting a slow, sad song but that isn’t what fans received. It's more upbeat and has an empowering tone to it. It creates a good contrast on this album and allows for a change of pace in the music. Ninth on my list.

I fell in love with “Question…?” after my first listen. I like every single line of lyric and enjoy the background of the song. Compared to some of my other favorite songs, it is surprising to me that I love this one so much. I was anticipating only loving the slow, sad songs on the album but this song, although considerably sad, was faster than the rest of my favorites. This song is ranked third.

In a very unpopular opinion, I do not like “Vigilante Shit.” Everyone was so excited for this song, but I don't think it lives up to the hype. It is my least favorite song on the album. give it a 6 out of 10.

Next up is “Bejeweled.” I currently have it at 11th on the overall list. However, everytime I listen to it, I reconsider moving it higher. Taylor put me in a position where I love so much of Midnights that ranking them makes it hard. Bejeweled is an 8/10 and is something I will listen to everytime it turns on. It is enjoyable and has a great use of background music.

My overall favorite song on Midnights is “Labyrinth.” It is an absolute 10/10. It is the perfect slow song that I've been waiting for. It is a song that I instantly resonate with. I listen to it on repeat everyday. It makes me both sad and hopeful.

Another long awaited song, “Karma,” leaves me slightly disappointed. This song is supposed to be the powerhouse song on the album; however it comes in at 12th on my list. Although catchy, it only maxes out at an 8/10, and does not live up to the years of supposition that “Karma” will be an album.

Sixth on my list is “Sweet Nothing.” It is a beautiful, light song that creates a cozy atmosphere when you listen. I enjoy it from beginning to end. Although it’s a 9/10 for me, I think that it will definitely be a favorite from the album for many people.

The final song on the album, “Mastermind,” only reaches tenth on my list. While a great song, it isn’t better than the rest. The song has a great pace and great lyrics, but it's not one that clicked with me until my fourth or fifth listen.

The seven additional released songs were all great additions to the album. Some overall favorites were “Bigger than the Whole Sky,” “High Infidelity,” and “The Great War.”

Bottom line: Taylor Swift’s tenth album is amazing. Since its release, it set the record for most streamed album in one day on Spotify and is undoubtedly on repeat in the headphones of all of Taylor's fans.