Lover Review

The end of summer marked a new beginning for Taylor Swift, following the release of her highly
anticipated seventh album, Lover.  Released on August 23, Lover attempts to redefine Taylor Swift’s
musical style and persona in a way that still manages to feel fresh and relatable.  Dreamlike in mood and
catchy in tune, Lover is a welcome change of pace when compared with 2017’s Reputation. Releasing
music videos to preface her new album, Taylor Swift hinted at the tracks to come via easter eggs hidden
within the frames of the video. Much like the songs in the album, they were a welcome surprise, even
when they retread themes explored in previous works.
Kicking off the album with ‘I Forgot That You Existed’, Swift makes it clear that she wants to
put her Reputation years behind her, and in a few ways she succeeds. It seems that every single album
Swift releases has continuing themes that include: talking about exes that were not right for her, talking
about how critics and tabloids target her, and how she wishes it could have worked out with some of the
other exes. As many of us enter our 20s, Taylor Swift enters her 30s, and continues to talk about the
exact same things she did a decade ago. While it’s true that the second song ‘Cruel Summer’ follows suit,
the key difference with each album is how it is all presented to the listener. With lyrics that sound less
aggressive, and music that sounds ‘lighter’ and nostalgic, the Lover era is artistically introduced.
The title track exemplifies this point, as it has a beat that serves as a callback to classic love songs
from the 60s and the Motown era, and lyrics that puts you in her fantastical musical world. Setting the
tone with this song, it is easy to see how her pastel colored album art and music videos fit into the world
she creates within her music. Songs that further support this nostalgic era are ‘Paper Rings’, ‘The
Archer’, and ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’. Each talks of lost love in a way that does not put down past
“Lovers”, but instead appreciates them for how they have affected her, as evident by the lyric ““trying to
find a part of me that you didn’t touch”. This is a great takeaway for anyone who’s been in a relationship
before, and makes the album slightly more relatable. Each of Taylor Swift’s tumultuous relationships
have impacted her in some way, and working this into her most recent album was a brilliant change.
Lover is much more akin to her previous albums 1989 and Red, which was a good artistic choice.
Whereas Red was the fusion of pop and country, and 1989 was the bubbly introduction to mainstream
pop, Lover finds a home somewhere between the two. Each of the songs is perfect for an end of summer
listen, letting singers kick back to an upbeat journey as they wave summer goodbye. At a whopping 18
tracks, it may get jarring to listen in its entirety, but Lover succeeds in providing a good group of love
songs that will satisfy most listeners, superfans and casual listeners alike.