Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album at midnight last Friday. “The Life of a Showgirl” is her first project produced in collaboration with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback since “reputation,” signifying a departure from Jack Antonoff’s production methods. The album withdraws from the dark poeticism of “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” to deliver a colorful tale of Swift’s life in the spotlight.

“The Fate of Ophelia”

Right from the opening, it is clear that this album is in the hands of different producers than her last few albums. It’s reminiscent of Swift’s older content, with influences drawing from “Speak Now” and “Midnights.”

However, much like other songs on the album, such as “Elizabeth Taylor,” this song doesn’t delve deep enough into the intricacies of Ophelia’s fate to be worthy of its Shakespearean title. It does provide callbacks to her with lines like, “Late one night / You dug me out of my grave / And saved my heart from the fate of / Ophelia,” but they lack depth.

“Opalite”

Reminiscent of Swift’s earlier work, the song speaks to the idea of letting go of past relationships and insecurities to move forward in current ones. In the song, Swift sings to a “you,” which fans online have presumed is her current fiancé, Travis Kelce, indicating a tonal shift from Swift’s previous albums, which are associated with breakups and the messiness of relationships. With an upbeat pop sound, “Opalite” can easily be danced to and enjoyed casually.

“Father Figure” 

This track is one of Taylor’s storytelling pieces about a predatory older male who displays manipulative behaviors and language. The song is sung from the perspective of the older male, with one of the lines reading, “This love is pure profit, just step into my office.” The song is largely bright in terms of the instrumentals, which seems to be strategically deceptive given the subject matter.

“Eldest Daughter” 

At its beginning, the fifth song on the album is a letdown in lyricism due to its overly modern references to “trolling and memes,” appearing to be a futile attempt to be in touch with internet culture. Overall, it’s an emotional commentary on social media that falls flat because of its use of cringey internet vernacular.

The serious tone is maintained with a slow tempo, which highlights Swift’s rich voice. At the chorus and bridge, the song picks up and ultimately redeems itself with a powerful, hopeful tune. However, the lyrics seem to have deeper meanings and are written well, until you reach the point where “bad bitch” and “savage” are referenced, which feels outdated.

“Ruin The Friendship” 

This track is a richly toned tale of a friends-to-lovers romance, imbued with the familiar and wistful yearning of Taylor’s earlier works, full of reflective references to her high school days and growing up in the suburbs of Tennessee. It’s a slower, romantic addition that suddenly morphs into a sadder, regretful tune with its sudden twist ending, ultimately advising listeners to take a chance rather than spending their lives wondering what could have been.

“Actually Romantic” 

Sabrina Carpenter’s influence is clear in this fun, revenge tune about a particular person, allegedly Charli xcx, who puts in so much time and effort into hating Swift that she views it as “actually romantic.” Swift reiterated how she finds their obsession and attention quite flattering as she makes fun of this person, claiming that “it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me” and “No man has ever loved me like you do.”

“CANCELLED!” 

Track ten leans into a dark, moody style with an eerie edge, very reminiscent of Billie Eilish’s early sound on “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” However, despite its catchy tune, it ultimately falls flat due to Swift’s cringy references to “girlboss[ing] too close to the sun.”

While the song does a good job at pointing out how female celebrities are often held to a higher standard than men, the topic of cancellation comes off as tone-deaf from Swift, a billionaire who has come under fire recently by fans for a lack of political activism.

“The Life of a Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)”

The final, titular track is another one rooted in storytelling, following a dancer named Kitty with a musical theatre-inspired bridge and an echoing, spoken outro clipped from Swift closing out a performance on the Eras Tour. With conversational lyrics channeling the disillusionment of fame, glitz and glamour, Carpenter and Swift’s vocals blend cohesively for an on-theme ending to the album.

This album gains traction as it progresses and almost makes up for blunders in its earlier tracks. Swift’s album is a reflection on her life of fame and offers insight into her love life with Kelce, which was not as heavily touched upon in other albums. However, “The Life of a Showgirl” is undoubtedly Taylor’s weakest album lyrically.

Overall rating: 2.5/5