Taylor Swift has undoubtedly “come back stronger than a 90’s trend” with her newest album, Midnights, but this time she has proven that her marketing skills match her musical talent.

Swift has always been a genius marketer. Earlier in her career, she would not release her albums immediately to Spotify, forcing listeners to buy physical copies, which are much more lucrative. She set up partnerships with NCAA football and AT&T for her Reputation album. And after her former manager refused to sell her the masters to her own records, she started re-recording them and adding vault tracks, managing to sell 1.2 million physical copies of Red (Taylor’s Version). 

Well before this new album was released at midnight today, Swift constructed much excitement for Midnights through masterful marketing.

Following her win at the 2022 VMAs, Swift announced her 10th studio album at midnight. Then she released information on the album through her social media at midnight several days a week, encouraging fans to “meet (her) at midnight” to gain exclusive insight.

She continued the publicity push with “Midnight Mayhem With Me,” where Swift would post a video to her social media on random midnights announcing the name of one of the 13 track titles. These short videos garnered her 83 million views on TikTok alone.

Swift also released a teaser trailer for music videos during Thursday night’s NFL football game.

But her marketing efforts for the album skyrocketed with the release of the physical copies of the album.

She is offering four different versions of the vinyl that, when the backs of the album covers are placed together, create the face of a clock. Die-hard fans are now incentivised to spend $120 for four copies of the same record. Then Swift pushed this concept further with a personalized display for the records that includes a clock mechanism for $50. 

If the records weren’t enough, she released different versions of the CD as well.

Through this marketing, Swift has seen her name littered in tabloids and fans sharing theories about the album for weeks. With millions of fans all over the world buying in, literally and figuratively, to her marketing, Swift’s Midnights was a financial success before it even came out.

But is all the excitement preceding the album warranted?

Unsurprisingly, the album is excellent, with lyrics comparable to the genius of folklore and impressive vocals that accompany the almost synth-pop sound seamlessly.

Midnights follows Swift on 13 different sleepless nights throughout her life. Because of this, the album provides an amalgamation of sounds that parallel those of 1989, reputation, and Lover.

The first track, “Lavender Haze,” is reminiscent of “I Think He Knows” from her Lover album. The song focuses on how the media tries to exploit her relationship with long-term boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.

Swift and Alwyn keep their relationship private, yet media outlets attempt to force labels on them. She applauds him for dealing with the media attention through lyrics like “I’ve been under scrutiny / You handle it beautifully.” 

“Snow on the Beach,” which features Lana Del Rey, continues to focus on love and falling for someone. With lyrics like “But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet” and “My smile is like I won a contest / And to hide that would be dishonest,” Swift and Del Rey paint a dreamy picture of what it is like to fall in love. 

Swift is known for having the fifth track on her records be a heart wrenching song, and “You’re on Your Own, Kid” continues this trend.

Swift shows a vulnerable side, perfectly matching the themes of real and raw emotion that appear  throughout the album. Though the whole song has a sense of isolation and sadness, lyrics from the bridge illustrate the troubles she’s had in the industry: “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes / I gave my blood sweat, and tears for this / I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved the perfect kiss / The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money / My friends from home don’t know what to say.” 

The clear standout of the album is “Labyrinth.” Not only does it contain relatable lyrics about pressure like “Everybody expects me to bounce back /  Just like that,” it also contains lyrics about love like “You would break your back to make me smile.”

Besides the detailed and descriptive lyrics, Swift’s angelic voice is especially noticeable. While many credit her writing ability, some fail to acknowledge her impressive voice. “Labyrinth” exemplifies this talent.

The final track on the regular version of the album, “Mastermind,” ends it brilliantly. It has elements of all the prior songs, with deep lyrics, a fun synth beat, and vocals to match. It has the right amount of upbeat attitude, which comes as no surprise “’cause (she’s) a mastermind.”

It also should come as no surprise that Swift had more tricks up her sleeve. While the 13 tracks were released at midnight, Swift told fans she had a surprise for them that was to be announced at 3 a.m.

This surprise was an additional seven tracks. 

“There were other songs we wrote on our journey to find the 13. I’m calling them the 3 a.m. tracks,” Swift said. “So it’s 3 a.m. and I’m giving them to you now.”

While most of the tracks are comparable to those on the regular version of the album, the truly exceptional song is “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” Swift hints at her anger towards her previous relationship with John Mayer.

During their relationship, Swift was only 19 and Mayer was 32. The song seems to be a continuation of “Dear John” from Speak Now. In both songs, Swift rhetorically asks Mayer if he realizes how wrong he was for the actions he took in their relationship.

Swift asks, “If I was some paint, did it splatter / On a promising grown man? / And if I was a child, did it matter?” Not only does she comment on how his fans criticized her for “trying to ruin his career,” she emphasizes her young age at the time. 

Midnights displays Swift’s skill in music. She is able to introduce new sounds and blend together aspects of her old albums. Some fans may criticize the album for how it sounds distinctively different than folklore and evermore, but Midnights provides the personal vulnerability Swift was lacking in her repertoire.