For a massive "superstar" album, Taylor Swift's Midnights is a remarkably sombre, restrained and rather chilly affair. And this is why it's also kind of awesome.

TaylorMania can get a bit exhausting, yes, but the gal hasn't exactly navigated her ascent to Total World Pop Domination via a straight A-to-B path. From her bright-eyed country(-esque) beginnings to the gleaming electro-pop of 1989 and Reputation to the surprisingly deep and varied songwriting on display on Lover and its unadorned, folk-leaning sequels Folklore and Evermore, Swift has made a habit of changing things up at just the right time. And on 2022's Midnights, as she did with Lover in 2019, she changed things up at just the right time -- again -- to turn TayTay doubters into believers. 

Fraught with late-night worries, regrets and self-doubt -- and some spectacularly artful and theatrical self-loathing on the magnificent single "Anti-Hero" -- the subdued, synth-soaked Midnights would not outwardly seem the most obvious candidate for the best-selling album of 2022. And yet it was, accomplishing that feat (and selling a million copies in five days) despite the fact that it was released in late October of that year. True, selling four differently coloured versions of the record with alternate covers simultaneously didn't hurt Swift and Universal Music's profits, but one must also give the legions of Swifties out there credit for tagging along on a musical ride that consistently refrains from doing the obvious thing. Swift didn't get where she is by accident. She's the real deal. Midnights is proof of that. 

TRACKLISTNG:

1. Lavender Haze
2. Maroon
3. Anti-Hero
4. Snow On The Beach
5. You're On Your Own, Kid
6. Midnight Rain
7. Question...?
8. Vigilante Shit
9. Bejeweled
10. Labyrinth
11. Karma
12. Sweet Nothing
13. Mastermind