“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,” sings Taylor Swift in her single “Anti-Hero” from her 10th studio album, “Midnights.” This is a prevalent theme in Swift’s new album where she reinvents herself as a pop singer.

Swift’s music career began in 2006 with her debut country album, “Taylor Swift.” In 2012, Swift switched her style of music from country to pop with the release “Red.” Swift stayed with this genre until 2020, when she transitioned to indie folk with the release of “Folklore” and “Evermore,” before returning to pop with “Midnights.”

If pop album “1989” is the party, “Midnights” is the afterthought. The thrilling and charming pop album contains more unforgettable lyrics and catchy beats than ever before, and is one of Swift’s best albums.  Swift described the album as “a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.”

The album opens with the words “Meet me at midnight” in “Lavender Haze.” The song immediately starts off with a pop beat, leaving all “Folklore” fans in disbelief. The song has an upbeat start and tells the story of a newfound romance.

The theme of romance is switched into vulnerability and self-hate on track three, “Anti-Hero.” It has a cheerful beat but deals with her self-deprecating thoughts, which makes listeners feel the song deep within their souls. “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” track five, is another song on the album that dives into Swift’s emotions. This song features Swift’s most personal lyrics and quickly became a fan favorite. Swift sings about the challenges of feeling unsupported by the world and the people around her and the loneliness behind that. Lyrically, the song offers a perspective on how Swift has grown through the years and navigated relationships, losing and gaining friends.

Swift then changes the tempo back to pop, showing her roots to back to “1989” in song “Karma,” track XI.  The song starts with a spirited pop beat that leaves listeners dancing. This song talks about an unbothered state of mind and feeling happy for the right reasons. Catchy lyrics like, “karma is my boyfriend” and, “karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend” make you want to scream the lyrics and take you right back to the “1989” era.

The final song on the original 13-track album is “Mastermind.” The song starts with upbeat sounds that slowly intensify and echo around the words sung throughout. This song sounds like it is describing a romance, but also depicts the success Swift has had throughout her career. Lyrics like, “No one wanted to play with me when I was a kid, so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless,” are said in showing the mastermind behind her success as an artist. This songs echoey electric groove,  as well as the deep lyrics, are the perfect way to end the original tracks and keep the listeners thinking about the songs they just heard.

“Midnights” is an album that captured Swifts lyrical strengths of storytelling and vulnerability as well as her range of vocals. The album reinvents Swift as an artist by exploring with different sounds and returning to her pop roots and is arguably one of her greatest albums.