By Stacie Boyls | Arts & Life Writer
After two months of waiting following the album announcement on Aug. 12, the much-anticipated release of Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album is upon us. Last night, Swift reintroduced her love affair with spectacle and storytelling through twelve tracks of a dazzling pop refresh, all wrapped up in a glittering 41 minutes.
“The Life of a Showgirl” differs from her recent studio releases, like the expansive “The Tortured Poets Department” from April 2024, replacing introspective, verbose moodiness with buoyant, pop-filled euphoria.
The album was written, produced and recorded during her globally sensationalized Eras Tour, a feat that lasted nearly two years. During this time, she worked exclusively with expert pop producers Max Martin and Shellback. The Swedish duo is no stranger to Swift, having been responsible for the production of radio hits such as “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood” and “22.”
This collaboration had fans expecting a powerhouse Swift staple with “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album strays from the lengthy storytelling listeners have been accustomed to in recent years and offers 12 catchy anthems meant to depict a joyous time in Swift’s life.
Swift elaborated on the process and mindset behind the album when she revealed its release date and track list on fiancé Travis Kelce’s podcast, “New Heights.”
“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” she said. “I’m so proud of it. And it comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life, so that effervescence has come through on this record. So as you said, bangers.”
Considering the anticipation leading up to the release, the album was, well, OK. Some obvious winners stood out, such as “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Wood” and “CANCELLED!;” however, much of the album felt below Swift’s ability.
When using showgirls and ’20s razzle-dazzle as a theme, a listener might expect a dramatic and almost theatrical vocal and lyrical performance, not the soft rock and acoustic-heavy album we were given. While there is nothing inherently bad about this production style, it feels misplaced when compared to hard-hitters like “reputation” or “1989.” Swift has shown us her raw, unadulterated talent time and time again, making the unmemorable soundscape and lazy lyrics in songs like “Honey” or “Eldest Daughter” feel like a letdown.
Swift does boast her unrivaled wordplay and storytelling skills in this album, saving it from pop music purgatory. Her integration of a Shakespeare classic and her personal love story in “The Fate of Ophelia” depicts a masterful skill of analogy. It is paired with a catchy, upbeat and very pleasant acoustic backing, making this an adorable and artistic soundtrack staple. This was the perfect choice of song to open the album and one of the best songs on it.
“Actually Romantic” was one of the more harmonically complex songs, offering a unique chord progression and fun lyricism. This song, however, reads as a direct diss track and response to Charli XCX’s “Sympathy is a knife” from her album, “Brat.” While diss tracks have historically been accepted as a reasonable form of social padding, this dig feels particularly off-putting, given Swift’s major celebrity status. Regardless of the beef between them, this track feels like a punch down the ladder, swaying its likeability.
“Wood” and “CANCELLED!” offered more playful beats and dramatic writing, and were genuinely very enjoyable songs to listen to. “Wood” debuted an overtly explicit side to Swift’s writing, filled with phallic metaphors and playful tunes. This song immerses listeners in the honeymoon stages of her and Kelce’s relationship and wraps it exciting, big-band-esque production. “CANCELLED!” references her allies and true friends during her infamous fall from social grace during her 2017 – 2018 era. Its chord progression and lyrics have an essence of “reputation” and offer a dramatic twist.
Overall, the album was fun, but lacked the pizzazz Swift is more than capable of. Perhaps she is saving the glamour for future projects or is simply ready to execute her “Wi$h Li$t” plans of settling down. Whether she is trading in her marriage to the hustle for her marriage to Kelce is yet to be seen. Still, her musical self-portrait of power and showbiz remains intact. While this may not be her best album yet, her pivot back to pop is an exciting revitalization of the classic pop-tuned Taylor we all know and love.
