Grade: L
Commenting on Taylor Swift’s music has always been a touch-and-go subject for AntiArt. Infamously, we’ve lost hundreds of followers for our “unneeded commentary” on her unspecial music and lateness to trends. I’ll keep this review strictly to what is presented to me on her new album Midnights, although it’s boring presentation doesn’t evoke much from me. The production is full light, sleepy drum machines that do nothing for Taylor’s voice. If you’re not already totally convinced of her greatness – which I have never been for the record – then I don’t see any of this will ignite any sort of excitement for you. Even when she tries to switch it up from the typical sound like on “Midnight Rain”, she just finds the safest way to do so. The autotuned and subdued chorus adds even more slowness to an already sleepy cut. The music is generally pleasant and passable, but rarely leaves a deep impression.
Nurtured edge is how I’d describe Midnights. This is extremely apparent on “Vigilante Shit”, who’s unbearably white trap drums do nothing to elevate Swift’s nondescript, vague threats of “revenge”. It’s funny how Taylor is even late to the idea of cursing here, she just started in 2020. She couldn’t drop a proper “f***” or “b****” to save her life, truly. Any reference to “doing lines” or smoking weed feels forced. Taylor Swift does not inhale and thinks she can get high from smoking CBD. In all seriousness, she’s been comfortable writing the same exact song over and over again since she was 16, and a reference to smoking or a swear doesn’t change the core of that. Any sense of danger this record could conjure up is muffled by a basic performance or lackluster beat. This album is an L.
Comments