By Abigail Ali
Taylor Swift released her latest album and it has received mixed reviews. The album features heavy synths, voice modifications, and more electronic inspired sounds. While this isn’t completely unheard of within Swift’s past discography, this is certainly the first time the singer has leaned into this realm of music.
“The songs here are filled to the brim with syrupy synths, giving the album an astral, slow-motion effect, as if Swift were trapped in a reverb chamber.” – The New York Times
One of the more notable songs to use excessive voice modifications is “Midnight Rain” where the singer’s vocals are extremely edited, which came as a shock originally. Critics have also pointed out excessive vocal stacking throughout several songs within the album.
“Throughout the album, on songs like ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ and ‘Maroon,’ Swift’s vocals are stacked together to the point of suffocation.” – The New York Times
Despite the experimentation within the album and harsh criticism by the media, I think the album works. Though a major shift from the whimsical, simply sweet music from Swift’s past two albums “Folklore” and “Evermore,” I think Swift took a shot at reinvention which is what she does best.
“Not to toot my own horn, but I like the weirdness of ‘Glitch.’ The breakdown part is everything it was meant to be. This is so amazing to me.” – Mark Anthony Spears, Rolling Stone