November 18th, 2019

“A celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos.” This is how Taylor Swift describes Lover, an album defined by synth-pop beats and dazzling melodies. It’s a remarkable departure from the darker vibe of Reputation, and it’s uniquely her own, quite literally- this is the first album that’s fully hers after the infamous masters buy out.

From the opening lines of the first track, it’s evident she’s taking back the narrative, much like the Reputation era. Only this time she’s letting go of the past, declaring in a synth pop melody that “I forgot that you existed.”

She goes into the rest of the album with this same sentiment, one of ~This is our love & no one can touch us.~ If reputation was a thunderstorm, Lover is the rainbow that comes the next morning, the fresh air a reminder that it’s okay. 

I see elements of each of her previous albums in this work; the production of 1989, the lyricism of Red, the innocence & hope of Fearless, the magic of Speak Now, the strength of Reputation and the softness of her debut, where everything is new.

It’s a work full of new favorites with each listen, wrapping you up in the feeling of the background of a ‘90s rom com and the synth beats of the ‘80s with each track. It is, quite possibly, the synth pop album of our dreams, and I still haven’t quite found all the words for it.

What I do know? The commentaries are telling us this is her best, and they’ve gotten it right. She got it right.

Image Via Rolling Stone