Lover- An album that drowns in its own weight.

Music Review- Taylor Swift- Lover (2019)

Though Wildest Dreams was the clear stand out of 1989, to have an album filled with airy easy-listening adult pop causes Lover to drown in its own weight. There are songs here that are good but because of the length and the fact that a lot of the tracks are similarly airy, the album feels swamped by mediocrity. If Swift had a little restraint and let her album breathe, then there would be a better album here. To wade through the filler means you will find a few gorgeous gems, but it is a slog to get there. Luckily in this new streaming era, that Swift has properly embraced for the first time, listeners wont have to dredge through the whole album to get to the hits. Though, knowing Swifts fans they will buy the album in bucket loads.

This isn't a step down for Swift as it is more of a retread of the same ground. Nearly all of the tracks hearken back to a sound, style or inspiration from one of her previous albums. If you've loved Swift for a while then you will love this album in its entirety. If you only love aspects of her discography then you are going to have to fight through the rubble to find the ones you like.

As someone who rates hooks and songs that make me want to sing a long, Swift's usual style of narrative lead lyrics with airy production is not my style; however, it is the style that common critics will love and is found in plentiful on this album. I believe fans of Swift and critics will find a lot to love in this album, but normal listeners who are not willing to put the work in to find the few gems will see it as a forgettable and mediocre piece of work. I will be going back to 1989 and Red where I believe Swift got a better marriage between narrative lead songs and pop hooks. As she states on the opening track ''it isn't love, it isn't hate, it is just indifference.''

Album review- 5/10

Track by Track breakdown

I forgot that you existed- A Taylor Swift song to the T. It is exactly what you expect from Miss Swizzle that it is weirdly boring. Her cutesy angst of ''you did me wrong'' is her trade mark sound. As a song though it offers very little for a re-listen as at just two minutes fifty the opening track just reminds you who you are listening to and moves on. There is reference to her previous album 'reputation' and this song just feels like a reject from that album; as Lover is 18 tracks one wishes Taylor forgot that this song existed and left it on the cutting room floor. Don't get me wrong though, the song does nothing wrong and as Swift says ''it's not love, it's not hat, its just indifference''. (3)

Cruel Summer- Easy listening adult pop. Cruel Summer is a decent song that sounds inspired by the hits off of Swift's 1989 album especially during the bridge. It is a pleasant listen with no burn out, so you can have this song on repeat for as long as you like. Though the hook doesn't catch on as easily as a single ready hit would, you can definitely imagine radios playing this over and over during summer. Luckily for Swift, the song gets better with each listen and you will eventually find yourself singing along. (8)

Lover- Sounding like a cut from Taylor's Red days, it is a must listen for her older fans. The easy listening country twinged ballad is certainly a pleasant song that could be a sure fire hit during the Christmas period; why she released it now, in the middle of summer, I will never know. It is cute. It feels timeless. But, the word Lover just doesn't hit the ear well; the music stops to emphasise the word and it just feels a little awkward. It's just not a word in the lexicon of anybody other than Miss Swift apparently. Saying phrases like ''you are my lover'' and ''I am your lover'' sounds weird. Of course, the use of one word doesn't ruin the song as the rest of Lover is delightful, but it definitely prevents it from being the wedding song Taylor thinks it is. (7)

The Man- After recently reconciling her feud with Katy Perry, The Man feels like a song that would have been home on Perry's last album Witness. With Taylor donning the 'woke' cap that every pop-star has tried on in recent years, the song discusses sexual inequality to a fun pop beat. The sentiment is a nice change for the usually politics averse Swift, but offers no commentary past the point that there is inequality. It is easy digestible feminism for a younger audience which isn't a bad thing at all. It doesn't attempt to put an end to the issues discussed, but rather acknowledges that they are there and for Taylor dipping her toe into heavier topics it is a decent first run. From an enjoyment standpoint however, the chorus is a tad annoying, not for its message but its repetitive and monotone beat. (5)

The Archer- An interesting slice of introspection from the point of view of a confused artist. The themes discussed are the most interesting of the album so far through the track list. The production ramps up tension and makes the dark themes take on a new life. The intriguing tension is built through a thumping beat that keeps the song moving and going up and up in tension and interest and then... then it stops. The song is an excellent section of an even better song; at the moment The Archer doesn't have the blast off moment that the tension and interest sets it up to be. It feels like a leads up to a crescendo without hitting the best bit. It is certainly easy listening, but more of an album track that you will enjoy listening to when going through the album, but wont go back to on any other occasion. (6)

I think he knows- A slice of filler that really could have been cut on an 18 track album. The song is bland, so much so that the production attempts to give it life as at the gone two minute mark the song hits you with a barrage of drums just to keep the listener awake. If the album was shorter maybe this song would be less infuriating, but at nearly three minutes it is just a waste of space. (2)

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince- It is songs like this that makes Taylor a critics darling. Swift is certainly the master of her contemporaries at writing narrative lead songs with crafty lyricism. Modern day critics equate these kind of lyrics to the best a song can be written; I would argue that a pop song should be more than just a narrative and that writing good narratives is only one aspect of writing excellent lyrics. Critics often diminish the art of writing a good hook, the part of the song that gets stuck in your head and gets listeners to return to the song, which is criminal as it is certainly an art form in itself that should not be belittled. This song lacks a hook. A song shouldn't have to choose between a narrative or a hook as they are not conflicting things, a perfectly written song should have both. The song has a well crafted narrative that a lot of effort has clearly been put into it, but with no hook and no interesting production, the song has very little replay value. (5)

Paper Rings- You can't sit still to this song as this is the most fun and danceable Swift has been in years. It is fun without being irritating like a couple other of Swifts attempts at danceable pop songs in the past. It has an interesting narrative, a catchy hook and a clap along beat, what more could people want from a pop song. It is the right level of cutesy that Taylor has seemed to attempted but missed many times over the years. It is a lovely bit of life that is needed in the track list and makes it even more memorable in the usually slow album. It is definitely one to come back to as you can't hate this song without hating fun. (9)

Cornelia Street- The vibe of Cornelia Street is similar to Cruel Summer: a 1989 inspired decent slice of adult pop. It is easy listening and airy in tone. But, being more repetitive than Cruel Summer the songs burn out is higher and doesn't have the same infectious replay value. It's a nice album track, but again because of the gargantuan length of the album, decent album tracks feel like filler that are a waste of time. (4)

Death by a thousand cuts- A boring slice of easy listening. As a critic it's nicer when a song is either really good or really bad, when it is this mediocre is becomes painful to write about and even more painstaking as you try and peel something of interest from something so bland. It is not a bad song per-se, but it is nothing of interest or discussion. For me, that is worse than being a bad song. (2)

London Boy- A peculiar hodgepodge of English-isms. It seems to be a song thinly tying together loads of English things to strange effect, this is exemplified by the random Idris Elba introduction that only purpose seems to be is to remind us what an English man sounds like. It is another slice of easy listening that is prying for attention from her English fans. It is a cute listen that I am sure is lots of fun for Swift's London fans to go ''Omg I've been there'', but for the rest of us it is just a list of places, names and English-isms that have little relevance. (3)

Soon you'll get better (feat Dixie Chicks)- A cute country ballad that wastes a collaboration. The song is good and takes the place of Clean (1989) and New Years Day (Reputation) as the Swift ballad from the album. It is a nice song, but with every Swift ballad her voice is not strong enough, raw enough or diverse enough for it to go anywhere. On most songs, Swift's limited vocal ability isn't a problem because there are other aspects at play, but when everything is stripped away on a ballad like this you are left wanting more from her voice. A belt, a growl, a voice crack, any flick or vocal flare or honestly anything that isn't the same tame whispering that nearly every Swift ballad has. This is certainly just a Swift ballad because the Dixie Chicks add nothing to the song and if it weren't labelled then no one would know there was a collaboration here. (5)

False God- Opening with a slick saxophone, False God promises to be something a bit more of substance than her usual airy tracks. But, ultimately is swap outable with the other airy, easy listening adult pop songs that fill the album length up. Other than the brief sax, the song has nothing distinct or memorable from the other airy tracks. (3)

You need to calm down- Hidden near the back of the album, an unusual placement for a second single, but I don't blame Swift for wanting to hide this track. A song that is trying to be fun pop, but leans into irritating and annoying. The hook doesn't catch on as well as Swift would hope and the beat is just heavy and overblown. It's like Look what you made me do, but for a younger audience. The only interesting aspect is Swift supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the later half of the song, but it comes out of nowhere so feels a tad more like pandering to the community. This in my opinion is not the Gay anthem that Swift wanted it to be, but it seems like an honest attempt and support is support at the end of the day. Credit is given where it is due and her video did a lot to support the community. But, sadly for Swift it doesn't make the song sound any better. (2)

Afterglow- Though it is similar to the light airy adult pop that seems to drown this album, Afterglows hook is catchier and better than the songs gone before it. That is not to say it is much better. It is still forgettable airy pop, but one that after a couple of listens may become more memorable. After I finish the album I may remember the name of this song, unlike the others that follow similar flaws; the others will be remembered as ''the afterglow imitations''. (3)

Me!- Hidden even further to the back, even more of a weird position for a lead single, though I'm honestly not surprised. Kidz bop but without the kids. The lyrics are cringy and the song is repetitive. It is clear that Swift was banking on getting the same reception as Shake it off, but this song is even cringier than that. Though the album has removed the lyrics ''Hey kids, spelling is fun'', I can never remove it from my memory and how cringy it was. Brendon Urie used to be a respected indie rock star that got occasional and hard earned moments in the limelight, but this is a new low for him and has thoroughly damaged his credibility. I'm sure kids across the country are bopping away to this song at all their school discos, but that is the only place this song should be played. (3)

It's nice to have a friend- A really quick but sweet and refreshing song. It is light but not airy. The song is quaint and really sweet. It is definitely a memorable change from the rest of the album. It's got a really nice narrative and lovely production with the background Oooos carrying the song and giving it a dream like feel. With a cute little victory trumpet in the middle, it is a delightful song that captures the joy of having a friend. Though it finishes really quickly, it is definitely one to go back to. (7)

Daylight- The perfect ending to the album because it captures many of the flaws of Lover. Daylight is too long and exceedingly mediocre. It's nice but not memorable. If you dive into the lyrics the track has a lot that many fans will enjoy and revel in as there are references to many different aspects of Swift's history. It is a good closer and a decent song. But the outro goes on way longer than is needed and at nearly five minutes that makes a difference. If you were giving the album a well needed prune back, then this track would still be left on the album because it fits so well. (4)