Midnights: Slay or Nay?

Track 1:: “Lavender Haze” (slay)

This opening track has a computerized sound, but throughout the verses you can clearly hear the background vocals, and harmonies. I think this song is a very good sound for an opening track because unlike past albums where Taylor has been known for her impactful lyrics, Taylor is looking to create a new sound that separates herself from past albums that she doesn’t “own” - both in terms of artistic liberty and rights. This song creates a tone of ethereal that becomes the consistent vibe throughout the album.

Track 2: “Maroon” (slay)

One of my personal favorites on the album. When listening to this song for the first time, it reminded me of my favorite song off of her previous album 1989 Clean. I love the chorus, and I love how she incorporated another shade of red into another album. Some people throughout her fan base are saying that she is trying to “own a whole color” because of her album Red.

Track 3: “Anti-Hero” (nay)

I am not a fan of this song, the chorus is very repetitive and I find it cringey. The concept of the song was so hyped up when she introduced the track list. And I was excited for the song and what direction she was going to take it. But the lyrics that are like “sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby” like that lyric for me is so cringey, and I understand what she is trying to do but she executed that poorly in my opinion.

Track 4: “Snow On The Beach (Featuring: Lana Del Rey)” (slay)

I was disappointed with this song because I am a fan of Lana. But when the song came out I was waiting for Lana to sing a verse, but I was left with nothing except for a breath, at minute 1:20 you can hear taylor singing the chorus, and only little hints of Lana’s voice. And during the bridge at minute 2:56, Lana is now harmonizing with Taylor, and that leads to Lana’s vocals being more prominent in the background vocals. It sounds like Lana had more credits on the writing and producing on this track. But if it says a song features an artist I am expecting a verse or 2, not only background vocals and harmonies. But even though it was kind of a let down, the song still is pleasurable.

Track 5: “You’re On Your Own Kid” (slay)

This song is, in my opinion, the best one on the album. The song’s chorus never gets old. The concept of this delivers very well, and it has a feeling of nostalgia throughout it. The bridge is what most people are talking about because like the chorus it hits every single time. The bridge’s best lyrics “ I hosted parties and starved my body” and, “so make the friendship bracelets take the moment and take moment and taste it” the latter one is a TikTok trend where people make little picture slideshow and show pictures of their friends with the lyrics of the bridge on said slideshow. And I think it slays.

Track 6: “Midnight Rain” (neither a slay or a nay)

It is one of the songs I just don’t have a strong opinion on. It isn’t a skip, but I wouldn’t choose to put it on when I’m in my car. But, I do like the voice memos that you can hear in the background. Just the lyrics are boring to me, like there is nothing that draws me to the song.

Track 7: “Question..?” (slay)

The beginning of this song reminds me of "Keep Driving" by Harry Styles, because of the melody and pattern it is naming off certain phrases like the bridge of "Keep Driving". For example the beginning of Question…? Says “ good girl, sad boy, big city, wrong choices” and in ``Keep Driving" it says, “Ash tray, swimming pool, hot wax, jump off the roof.” So, that comparison I think is cool. But other than that I like the song, and the chorus is catchy and it sounds cool when listening to it with headphones. But I don’t have a strong liking for it.

Track 8: “Vigilante Sh*t” (slay)

This song has the sound of her album Reputation. This song is very bass heavy, and her voice is deep, and seductive. Some of the most talked about lyrics are, “I don’t dress for women, I don't dress for men, lately I’ve been dressing for revenge.” These lyrics give off the same energy as Reputation, an anodic, and bass, not like her previous albums where most of the sound has a raw, and acoustic. and I think that is cool, even though Reputation isn’t my favorite album, it is still a really good record.

Track 9: “Bejeweled” (nay)

For me this song is very bubblegum pop, and that isn’t really my favorite type of music. For this it just sounds very childish, and this song reminds me of something I would listen to in 5th grade trying to hype myself up in the mirror. I don’t hate the song, but it isn’t a song I’ll listen to a lot.

Track 10: “Labyrinth” (slay)

This song has a very euphoric sound, and it reminds me of her song Epiphany. She has a very delicate voice in this track. The lyrics are a little bit repetitive. Although this song really brings out the ethereal vibe of the album.

Track 11: “Karma” (nay)

I had high expectations for this song, like “Vigilante Sh*t” the title of the song was an obvious hint to Reputation. But as I was listening, I was feeling very indifferent about the song. The chorus is again very repetitive, and they aren’t lyrics that I can over analyze, they are basic and just.. There? In her previous albums she gives a really clear picture but still leaves your mind able to wander and tie your own personal experience to it. But this song just states the chorus and it’s so boring. I want to be able to dig into the lyrics, and have to connect the dots to what she is trying to say. But this just doesn’t prevail.

Track 12: “Sweet Nothing” (slay)

I didn’t know what to expect when hearing this song for the first time. No one was talking about it, it wasn’t this groundbreaking title that got anyones attention. But when I heard the whole song I really liked it. This song reminds me of Lover, another one of her previous albums, the synth has that kind of like computerized, but also it fits with the very love-centered theme of the album. In her album Lover it is a lot of her voice only, and a lot of isolated vocals, and that is the same with this song, and I really enjoy that.

Track 13: “Mastermind” (slay)

The last and final track on the regular edition of Midnights, and this song is very calculated like the title implies. Taylor uses storytelling in the first verse, and then transitions into the choruses, and uses that pattern within the song.

“And all the stars aligned, You and I ended up in the same room, at the same time” and then after that it goes straight into the chorus, “What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me, I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork, the dominoes cascaded in a line”. This chorus has turned into another TikTok trend where mostly girls are describing ways they have gotten into a relationship with their partners. This trend is super funny, but I feel like the song is trying to feed into the image that the public has given her, that she is crazy. Because articles have given her this image that she is psycho, and every relationship she gets in will have a honeymoon period but once that is over she’ll go crazy and end up writing a song about them. This song just sounds like it is trying to portray that scenario, not saying that my interpretation is right, but that is what I think it is about.

Altogether this album is really well thought out, and put together, there are songs that aren’t my favorite, but there are other tracks that I could never get enough of. So my official statement is that this album slays.

What do you think? Listen to Midnights by Taylor Swift, and tell me if this album is a slay or a nay!