after digesting it more I’d say its a mid-tier record for her. The fact that it’s so short and focused is a big strength. But it can’t help but be inconsistent as Taylor often is, with some of her best material sitting next to some embarrassing stinkers. Going by what she’s been saying in the promotion she clearly was not trying to be ambitious with this album, but more just having some fun in the studio as a way to blow off stress from the Eras tour rather than focusing on writing a cohesive batch of material (this album was written and record on breaks during the tour’s european leg). The production is her best in ages, and a nice change from Jack antinoff and Aaron Dessner who both were getting old, but simultaneously the Max Martin approach is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I like that each track exists in it’s own sonic space, and there are lots of nice sonic subtleties. I’d give it around a 6/10 i suppose.

here’s my worst to best of the album songs:

Cancelled - One of the worst songs in her discography. Supremely clunky songwriting, confusing unrelatable lyrics about how Taylor is famous and has to interact with cancelled people or something, it’s kinda hard to tell what her point is. Unpleasant, ugly production, and the hook doesn’t work at all. Contains the lyric “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?”

Actually Romantic - A diss track directed at Charli XCX where Taylor claims that Charli’s hate for Taylor is so intense that it makes her wet. yup. The music can’t save this one as it’s just a bland pop-punk-rocker with a pedestrian chord progression and goes nowhere interesting with any of its ideas. It does kinda remind me a bit of the Pixies though which is at least something.

Eldest Daughter - Pleasant enough sound, giving some 90s/00s girl-pop vibes with some beautiful vocal harmonies, but the lyrics are some of the most confused on the album and the tune meanders. “I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness”, well she’s not wrong, but it does feel weird to hear her say it. She also sings about falling off a trampoline and breaking her arm which made me laugh the first time I heard it. “I’m not a bad bitch” is certainly a choice for a line to lead off the chorus of the album’s main ballad.

Wood - the problem isn’t that she’s making dick jokes, the problem is that none of them are funny or clever and she lacks the flirty charisma of Sabrina Carpenter who she is obviously trying to imitate. The song is pretty catchy though and the “knock knock” sound effect is cute. I wouldn’t mind hearing her develop the groovy motown sound of this song more in the future with a more developed tune and better lyric.

Honey - by far the most lightweight tune of the album. The tune and beat are both catchy but it’s catchy in that Taylor Swift bouncy sing-song kind of way which makes the song simultaneously an earworm but also kind of annoying.

Ruin The Friendship - Some nice hooks especially the “Should’ve kissed you anyway” bit. Musically this feels like a throwback to her earlier years (I get Fearless vibes from this song for sure) which isn’t a sound we’ve heard from her in a while which is nice. Lyrics explore a high school friend of Taylor’s who committed suicide and how Taylor regrets not getting closer to him, and gives a “shoot your shot while you still have the chance” message. She’d previously written about this on the song “Forever Winter” on the Red Vault Tracks, which is one of my favorite songs of hers so I like that she’s revisited the topic.

The Fate of Ophelia - Pretty innocuous song, and much much stronger as a lead single than “Fortnight” was from the last album. I can’t see it becoming one of her most notable singles though. The tune is catchy, but the lyrics are a bit overwrought which saps it of the immediacy that a real smash hit single would have. Taylor often writes lyrics like a highschooler who likes to think she’s special because she’s the only kid in English class who actually likes Shakespeare (gasp!) and this song exemplifies that. Still a solid tune.

The Life of a Showgirl (Ft. Sabrina Carpenter) - Some stomp-clap action on this one with a curtain call singalong approach to the sound of the track. Lyrics are basically an imagined story of Taylor visiting a showgirl hero and that hero warning her away from living a life in entertainment and Taylor is like nuh uh. I really like the tune on this track. The Sabrina Carpenter feature kind of shows up Taylor on her own track if you ask me. Sabrina is so well suited for this kind of song and her voice pops out in a way that Taylor could never hope to. Taylor’s message to people who wish she’d give up and die is too bad “I’m immortal now”. Again, she’s not wrong, but it still feels weird to hear her say it.

Elizabeth Taylor - By far the song that would have fit in best on the Reputation album, and it pulls off that record’s aesthetic better than most of that albums songs did. The beat drop hits hard when the chorus hits. Definitely the most Max Martin-y of the songs on this album, and also the most “I am extremely rich and famous” type of lyric on the album, but the lyric and production fit together well and the hook lands.

Wi$h Li$t - The production is striking on this one. Feels really airy but in a glitzy kind of way, like you’re floating on a cloud before landing a helicopter on the heli-pad of a fancy hotel. I really like how the chorus is constructed on this song, jumping between different inflections (Taylor leaning into her hip-hop delivery here), and bouncing over the range and rhythmic space. Lyrics have a pretty traditional theme of “some people want fancy things, but I just want you”, but she chooses some odd lines to express this.

Father Figure - Initially this one gave me a wtf reaction, especially with the “my dick’s bigger” lyrics to represent how men wield their power. But after some time I think its a major highlight. The song is about Taylor putting herself in the role of men who pretended to mentor her only to take advantage and give her bad deals and stuff, framing them as the mafia. Then the climax of the song taylor is like you think you got the biggest dick? I’m taylor swift motherfcker, you fck with me and I’ll f*ck you so hard “You’ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you’re drowning”. Maybe at an earlier point in her career this lyric might have seemed ridiculous (and maybe it still does) but at her current level of fame and power, yeah I guess you kind of have to buy it coming from her. She sells the mob boss character of the song oddly well. Song construction is also pretty interesting with a great key change at the end too. Can’t say I’ve heard a song like this from her before.

Opalite - Feel good, glitzy ABBA like power-pop jam. Brings back the infectious uplifting bubblegum fun of older hits like “22” which were always among my favorites of hers. If this was the kind of song Taylor was cooking up on a regular basis I think she’d be getting a lot less hate. I’m always a sucker for songs that evoke that “rapturously dancing under the stars” kind of vibe and this hits that spot for me. One of my favorite subtle production touches on this album is the ultra low synth bass that punctuates the “oh my lord” line which I can only hear on my headphones but it’s just that tiny bit of extra oomph that makes it pop.