Grown-up Taylor is nostalgic, in love and as honest as ever.
After a long-anticipated wait, Taylor Swift’s new album Lover has landed, and critics have given it a mixed bag of reviews. Some saying she’s back in all of her glory while others felt a little disappointed by her efforts. Her gave it a listen to bring you our honest opinion…
Lover is a bright but emotional album discussing old loves, old memories with a hint of feminism in between.
The album consists of Taylor romanticising and bringing colour to the changing seasons of her relationships, past and present, in an emotionally honest fashion. Prepare yourself, it’s a rollercoaster.
It’s also something of a marathon – among the 18 tracks are some very catchy numbers that you’ll find yourself singing along to, but one or two others that could have been cut.
There are some heartfelt songs, and she proclaims her undying love for her boyfriend Joe Alwyn in London Boy. It’s borderline cringe but it’s a catchy tune so somehow she gets away with it. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Taylor Swift, in fairness.
I Forgot That You Existed is the perfect entrance, yet feels like the end to the last era of Tay Tay – the badass, broken-hearted twentysomething we knew from her Reputation album. It gives an upbeat beginning to a genre-switching storyline.
Cruel Summer is the perfect Taylor anthem, written alongside Jack Antonoff – who you may know as the guitarist/drummer from indie band Fun – it’s bound to be a hit. It’s everything you need in a Taylor Swift song: discussing all things tortured love wrapped up perfectly in an upbeat three-minute parcel.
Afterglow is like a reflection on arguing with a partner. It’s the lament of a past relationship, where Taylor blames herself for its breakdown, and it’s such a relatable song.
The summarisation of teenage life in secondary school in Miss Americana and The Heartbreak is something plenty of young girls will relate to, too.
Gender equality anthem The Man is like Taylor’s take on Beyoncé’s Single Ladies but for millennials. It’s hard to deny the strong beat and some of the points she makes during the song.
Paper Rings sounds like a theme song to a new Netflix series like Gilmore Girls – and I’m here for all of it.
Soon You’ll Get Better is a beautiful, slow country music ballad, featuring the phenomenal Dixie Chicks. It is about Taylor’s mother, whose cancer returned earlier this year. It’s a stunning and emotional song which feels fitting to finish the album, like the concluding chapter on her biography.
Swift received 10 nominations at this year’s MTV VMA’s and her You Need to Calm Down video won both Video of the Year and Video for Good awards. The song itself is soaring into the No.1 spot on the charts.
Overall, this album oozes 1980s’ pop, but with a sleek, slightly edgy feel. As she navigates her experiences with relationships, society and fame, Taylor displays the vulnerability and openness that her fans still crave – and she has definitely exceeded their expectations here.
In many ways, Lover feels like an ode to old Taylor, and an updated version of her 2008 single Love Story.
Yes, Lover may be extremely long, but somehow she manages to pull it off. It’s everything you would expect from Taylor Swift, but with a grown-up tone that hones in on the what we know Taylor for – her love songs.
