Taylor Swift is a world famous pop star. In my opinion, it’s the genre she does best, as proven by her album “1989,” which sold 1.3 million copies during its first week. Swift understands the makings of the perfect pop album, with catchy lyrics and upbeat rhythms. “Midnights” is no different, as the album feels familiar while remaining new.

Recorded completely with Jack Antonoff, “Midnights’ ‘ is a blurred, synth-pop album that personifies the atmosphere of an after-party; streamers on the floor, loud silence, bodies hung over couches and chairs, with Swift in the middle of it all.  In the track “Midnight Rain”, Swift gathers her thoughts and experiences and through “Anti-Hero”, she reveals her self-regrets and lost relationships in her pursuit of fame. This project shows that midnight is the time when Swift is at her best: raw and honest.

As Swift described it, these songs are “a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.” It’s music from different moments of her life, reflections of who she once was compared to who she is now. Each track feels as though it belongs to one of her previous albums, which is simultaneously the downfall and the redeeming factor of “Midnights.”

High-energy pop songs with catchy melodies are placed in conjunction with songs that speak of self-loathing and deep regret, making the album feel slightly thrown-together, hand-picked from scattered moments in Swift’s life. This isn’t a bad thing, as there is a sense of shock that listeners feel as the album moves from one emotion to another in brisk succession. It’s introspective, but never too deep. “Midnights” doesn’t have one classified aesthetic; it’s supposed to feel confusing and unsettling. These are thoughts that kept Swift awake at night as she never achieved closure when writing about them, but has understood them for what they are. It’s her looking back and accepting her mistakes, regrets and past loves — whether they were successful or not.

Compared to “Folklore” and “Evermore,” this album is less fictional and feels more like a collection of pages from Swift’s diary as she sings, “I’ll stare directly into the sun/But never in the mirror.” The album addresses Taylor Swift, the individual, and “Taylor Swift,” the identity she created throughout all her years of songwriting. It’s her way of showing us the human behind the pop star.

Swift has always been a romantic at heart, shown by her album “Lover,” as well as some tracks from “Reputation.” As listeners, we’ve been led to believe that her experiences have quite simply just fallen into her lap. However, this notion of a fairytale ending comes burning down as we listen to her track “Mastermind.” She sings of planning out her relationships precisely, confessing that, “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian because I care/So what if I told you/None of it was accidental.” She’s lived and she’s learned, and there’s been far too much risk for her to let the cards fall where they may. It’s the perfect way to close this candid album, as she finally bares it all.