5 Days of Reviewmas 🎄 - Day #2 - Track by Track: Reputation 🎵

Hello there Internet!

I hope you are doing well wherever you are in the world today 🌏

I apologise for this going up a little later than I had intended. Today has been a hot and weird kind of day, and I needed some time to process and get some important stuff done before I could jump on here 👍.

But I hope you still enjoy Day #2 of Reviewmas, whenever it is that you are reading this 💙

Today is a music review that will be delving into the nitty gritty opinions I have about Taylor Swift's latest album 'reputation'.

Because it is a track by track, there are 15 to go through. So, this will be a long post. Sorry, but not really because I felt like I needed to go deep with some of my thoughts.

Here we go:

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists in the world right now. Fight me, you know it’s true.

But it’s safe to say that her 6^th studio album was a surprise. Taylor doesn’t do things by halves, and there's a lot for listeners to process from every angle. It’s a bold statement that proved Swift can still write killer songs, produce killer arrangements and be all around fabulous despite the various ‘reputations’ people have created to define her.

Although there are highs and lows on the album, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of figuring it all out. Please keep that in mind.

So, let’s break ‘reputation’ down. Track by track:

…Ready For It?

The album opener but the second single, this track is dark, edgy and fun. Characterised as Wildest Dreams’ badass cousin by some peeps on Tumblr, it’s packed full of energy. Seriously, you’ll want to find someone to fight because you’re so hyped up on the confidence vibes. Swift’s wordplay is strong here too, with an especially addictive chorus. It teased the general badassery that Taylor is embracing on the rest of the album and I am here for it.

3 minutes and 28 seconds of: Pulsing beats and a serious message of don’t mess with me. You aren’t ready for it.

End Game (ft. Ed Sheeran, Future)

The only collaboration on the album, but it’s a big one. 'End Game' brings together Swift, superstar singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran and popular rapper Future for a surprisingly cool pop track. It’s cruisey and totally easy-listening, but nothing crazy really happens. So yeah, it sounds a touch generic. But it’s still enjoyable, with memorable, heavy hooks and rhythmic verses. Basically, everyone gets a rap and it’s a good time.

4 minutes and 4 seconds of: The word ‘reputation’ 13 times. Plus some other stuff that sounds nifty.

I Did Something Bad

Swift was dark and villainous on this track; channelling her inner mysterious enchantress. There’s also more of a ‘trap’ sound creeping in at this point, which is a new arrow in Swift’s quiver of musical identities. Taylor’s references to her crazy media persona is something she’s doing a lot this album, and I liked the dramatic character and style in this instance. It was cheeky, but not so much that I’m overwhelmed. Lyrically, this was another strong one and there’s some witch-hunt references in the bridge which are quite interesting.

3 minutes and 58 seconds of: Basically Blank Space… but darker, less subtle and with a low-key curse word that could be surprising to some listeners.

Don’t Blame Me

Swift dabbled in some gospel vibes for this one, and it worked quite well. ‘Don’t Blame Me’ is a surprisingly catchy midtempo synthpop track that is one of the more feel-good moments. There’s nothing particularly vindictive about it, but all of the elements blend seamlessly together to create a strong song. Lyrically, it celebrated the obsessive euphoria of being in love and the big hook in the chorus is uber catchy.

3 minutes and 56 seconds of: Love being a drug that we can’t stop taking and a reference to The Great Gatsby. Good times!

Delicate

Another one of my favourites, ‘Delicate’ is a mid-tempo track void of the intense bravado we’ve heard earlier on in the album. Instead, it’s emotionally vulnerable for the first time. This comes from a lyrical narrative about the hesitancy of entering into a new relationship. Swift is quite innovative in the way she has combined these reflective lyrics with thick vocal harmonies and a simple instrumentation that still keeps the song moving energy wise.

3 minutes and 52 seconds of: Snazzy voice effects and relatable feels that has serious single potential.

Look What You Made Me Do

The first single the world got to hear from Swift’s ‘reputation’ era, this one is a little on the dramatic side. Delving into the world of electroclash pop, it’s intensely theatrical, but ultimately quite boring. It’s annoyingly repetitive and lacks some extra pizz-azz in the chorus. Swift teamed up with Jack Antonoff to write and produce it, and there are certainly some sassy one-liners happening in the verses. Ultimately, I understand this song is important for defining Swift’s new musical endeavour, but it’s certainly not her best work.

3 minutes and 31 seconds of: The old Taylor turning in her grave to a boppy beat. Apparently, she’s dead now. RIP.

So It Goes…

This track takes listeners back into the realms of dark pop with some intense production and an intimate narrative. But there’s nothing special going on. Describing the intense attraction and connection you can have with a significant other, Swift doesn’t bring anything new to the table here. We’ve got more references to villainous Taylor and more mature aspects of her personality, but we’ve heard it all before. It’s a little too bland and everything just blended together in a rather forgettable manner.

3 minutes and 47 seconds of: A weird kind of daydream that I blurred from my memory immediately afterwards.

Gorgeous

An absolute guilty pleasure song, ‘Gorgeous’ combined theatrical slapstick romance and fun, upbeat pop production. It’s an easy one to hit repeat on, but you can’t take it too seriously. The story of an intoxicating attraction you can have with someone slightly forbidden is something we all have or will encounter in our lives. Swift just did us all one better and wrote a catchy anthem about it. I also loved the quirky instrumentation, such as the baby voice opening and the bell rings. They were fun.

3 minutes and 29 seconds of: Cheesy and melodramatic romantic packed into a cute song shaped box. It’s borderline whimsical.

Getaway Car

One of the most surprising tracks on the album, Swift shows she still knows how to craft a brilliantly written gem. Using the central metaphor of criminality and escaping in a car to describe a doomed relationship is genius. The accompanying production is understated and a little bit wistful at times, but still dynamic enough that it fits the general album tone. It’s another strong collaboration between Swift and Jack Antonoff, and so damn underrated.

3 minutes and 53 seconds of: A novel-worthy narrative, a quirky melody and a dark horse of a song if there ever was one.

King Of My Heart

At this point, you can be forgiven for thinking that this album is getting a touch repetitive. The same kind of electropop beats and synth-heavy vocals are coming up again in this song, and it’s a really good representation of the reflective yet innovative direction Taylor is rocking on this album. The crown metaphor is one of many motifs that has cropped up lyrically, but this one seems to point to happier romantic times. I like it a lot.

3 minutes and 34 seconds of: Super catchy monarchy references and percussive melodies.

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

I low-key hate how this song gets into your brain and doesn’t leave. It’s catchy and slightly generic, but I quite like the metaphor of the song title itself – it makes you think. Swedish songwriter Oscar Holter popped in for a co-write, and its dance house music vibes actually mesh well with Swift’s vocal range. She’s done well to stay consistent in her description of ultimately doomed relationships, while still adding in new sounds and influences.

3 minutes and 31 seconds of: Quite a sad romantic situation packaged up in the form of rave friendly beats.

Dress

I would argue that ‘Dress’ is the most annoying song to spawn from ‘reputation’. Controversial I know, so let me explain. The hook in the chorus was quite grating after a while, and for the first time I felt like Swift’s connection to the story in her vocals wasn’t up to her usual standard. It felt a little hollow, and I think the breathy falsetto wasn’t helping. Unfortunately, this slow and steamy ballad just wasn’t my cup of tea.

3 minutes and 50 seconds of: Provocative Taylor coming out of nowhere and leaving us all shook.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

You probably didn’t think it was possible, but this song is more theatrically intense than ‘Look What You Made Me Do’. Seriously, it’s full on in the attitude department! Echoing the incendiary vibes of ‘Bad Blood’, this is uncomfortably pointed and stupidly hilarious. Lyrically, this is one track that we can definitely say is about a certain someone… or two people, but Swift proved she can hold her own in the drama arena. With salt to spare.

3 minutes and 27 seconds of: Absolutely no sign of subtlety. Do you want some song with your shade?

Call It What You Want

It’s late in the game, but ‘Call It What You Want’ is my absolute favourite track on the album. There’s something really appealing about taking the production down a notch and creating a nice contrast to the beats and theatre of earlier. This electropop ballad also included some very honest lyrics; including some of my all-time favourite Swift one-liners. It’s fun, simple, beautiful, and I just love everything about it.

3 minutes and 23 seconds of: Shaking off the drama and driving into the sunset with your significant other, happily ever after.

New Year’s Day

The album closer is perhaps the most surprising thing on ‘reputation’. It couldn’t be more different to everything else we’ve heard. Bringing back Swift’s distant country roots, it’s an acoustic ballad that has a really sweet sentiment to it. The offbeat piano tune also made for a fascinating listening experience. But lyrically, it’s a masterstroke. Embracing the good and bad memories and learning from them is super important. What a great way to finish.

3 minutes and 55 seconds of: Something really poignant and special with lots of soft nostalgia.

Whether you're Team Taylor or not, there is no denying her ability to channel her life experiences into some amazing tunes. In this department, I believe that 'reputation' contains some of Swift's best work to date.

As long as the drama keeps loving Taylor, she's going to keep turning it into stuff she can fill albums with. I'd take the reputation of being a kick-ass hitmaker anyday of the week, wouldn't you?

★☆★☆★☆★☆★

So there you go! That was a long one, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless ✨

This format is something I gravitate towards when I want more of a detailed review. I've done one of these previously on Little Mix's album Glory Days. You can find it here if you want more track by track goodness 😀

If you want to keep up with all things Reviewmas, remember to follow me @miss_memphis98 on either Instagram and/or Twitter to keep up with when I post 💕

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow Internet,

Love and snake microphones, Emily xx 🎀