Album: Lover

Artist: Taylor Swift

Genre: Pop

Release Date: August 23, 2019

Our Rating: B+

On Friday, Aug. 23, Taylor Swift released her new new album “Lover.” This new album features 18 songs, two of which (“Me!” and “You Need To Calm Down”) have made the Billboard Hot 100 List, ranking 18th and 63rd place respectively.

This new album is comprised of 18 songs and is about an hour long. Taylor Swift has taken a completely different approach to her new album. Her last album, “Reputation,” was significantly darker than “Lover.” Her last album was mainly about all of the effects of people on social media and how they can impact your reputation, but you do not have to listen to them. Her new album continues along the same path of standing up for yourself, except it is portrayed with a more “unicorn and rainbows” perspective.

The album starts off with “I Forgot That You Existed.” This song, in a way, is a clap back at her last album. In one of the songs in “Reputation,” Taylor Swift sings, “I’m sorry the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead.” She was declaring that her old self was gone and that she would be standing up for herself from then on. For her to start the album off with that song shows that she has not been swayed by social media and negative comments. She is still determined to stand up for herself and her fans.

The next song in the album is “The Man.” This song discusses what would happen to her career and how people would not make comments about her songs if she was a man.

“I personally like this album better because it fits my type of personality and mood better than what reputation did, but I think “Reputation” was a really good album,” senior Juliana Bonavita said.

Then comes “The Archer” and “I Think He Knows.” “The Archer” is speculated to be a sequel song to the “Reputation” album. However, this new song reveals a more vulnerable and exposed side of Taylor. “I Think He Knows” leaves us wondering what the song is actually about. From what we can gather, the song is focusing on someone that Swift may have been involved with. This song does not really match with the theme of her album and therefore we do not believe that it was a good addition to her new album.

“Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” and “Paper Rings” were great additions to the album. In relation to the theme of the album, it makes sense that Taylor would have a few songs that are “vintage” and share a vulnerable and more sweet side of her.

The next two songs, “Cornelia Street” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” both share a little about Swift remembering her old lovers and reminiscing on her good times with them. “London Boy” and “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” are more upbeat tunes that make you want to do a little dance. The beats are catchy and can easily get stuck in your head.

There are two songs on the album that are overplayed on the radio. These songs are not my favorites because it gets annoying to hear the same songs over and over again. Over time, you tend to get sick of those songs, which is is what happened with “Me!” and “You Need to Calm Down.”

“I think that the songs “Me!” and “You Need to Calm Down” were definitely overplayed and it makes them boring,” freshman Jazzmin Chavez said.

Taylor Swift ends her album with “Daylight.” This is the most heartfelt song on the record. Swift sings, “You just gotta step into the daylight and let it go, just let it go.” This is such a positive way to let everyone know that you do not have to listen to all the negative things that others say, you can just let it all go.

At the end of this record, Taylor shares that she does not want to be defined for what she fears or hates, but rather the things that she loves. The album shares a positive message that is important to remember in a world that is becoming overly dependent on social media as a form of communication.