Great read, Caroline! I listened to the double album yesterday and was underwhelmed by the first half but really liked the second half. I wasn't surprised to learn about the Antonoff/Dessen split that explains the sounds, but I was surprised to learn that it was mostly about Matty and not Joe, as we all expected! I'm still looking forward to digging into it. Midnights grew on me after my initial listen and I'm sure this one will too, but it's a very frustrating release for me.
It was pretty wild to come to the Matty realization in real-time at like 1am on release night. What a twist! And I agree that her music has a way of growing on you over time, so I'll be curious to see where this one ultimately lands for me as well
Thank you so much for this write up, enjoyed it immensely. And I couldn't exactly say why, but learning it's about Healy and not Alwyn, actually made me like the album more. It's so uneven, but I listen on shuffle, and that keeps things interesting. 💙
I know what you mean! On a first listen with Joe in mind, it felt a little mean/vindictive in a way that didn't quite fit with how she's portrayed their relationship in her music previously. The Matty lens makes it all make way more emotional sense to me
I felt already pretty let down by Midnights, which in my opinion only had like 3 great songs (Lavender Haze, Maroon and Midnight Rain), another few OK ones and a lot barely tolerable to very bad songs.
So you're not giving me any real hope for the new album.
Just for reference: Peace, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, I Almost Do, Dress, Dear John and Evermore are one of my absolute favorite songs. So it's not like I have only one specific album I love.
Definitely make sure you listen to the second album/full version ("The Anthology") cause it's got big Folklore/Evermore vibes and a lot of the best songs are there. I wish she'd released it as the main album!
Thanks. I'll probably listen to a few songs of the ones you liked best on YouTube before deciding wether to buy the album or not.
The whole "growing on you" thing with TS albums I only really had with Reputation. The other ones I kinda liked right away although some of the songs were slow burners and they crept up in my ranking over time. Dancing With Our Hands Tied comes to mind as well as Come Back... Be Here. Although every time I listen to the last one I get bothered by the line "But in my mind I play it back/Spinning faster than the plane that took you". Why would the plane spin? The engine spins!
Anyway. Great read as always. Even tho I'm not invested in or curiousl about the relationship drama surrounding her music, it's sometimes interesting to engage with people who are following it.
This is perfect, helps me appreciate the mess a little bit more
Great read, Caroline! I listened to the double album yesterday and was underwhelmed by the first half but really liked the second half. I wasn't surprised to learn about the Antonoff/Dessen split that explains the sounds, but I was surprised to learn that it was mostly about Matty and not Joe, as we all expected! I'm still looking forward to digging into it. Midnights grew on me after my initial listen and I'm sure this one will too, but it's a very frustrating release for me.
It was pretty wild to come to the Matty realization in real-time at like 1am on release night. What a twist! And I agree that her music has a way of growing on you over time, so I'll be curious to see where this one ultimately lands for me as well
Thank you so much for this write up, enjoyed it immensely. And I couldn't exactly say why, but learning it's about Healy and not Alwyn, actually made me like the album more. It's so uneven, but I listen on shuffle, and that keeps things interesting. 💙
I know what you mean! On a first listen with Joe in mind, it felt a little mean/vindictive in a way that didn't quite fit with how she's portrayed their relationship in her music previously. The Matty lens makes it all make way more emotional sense to me
I felt already pretty let down by Midnights, which in my opinion only had like 3 great songs (Lavender Haze, Maroon and Midnight Rain), another few OK ones and a lot barely tolerable to very bad songs.
So you're not giving me any real hope for the new album.
Just for reference: Peace, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, I Almost Do, Dress, Dear John and Evermore are one of my absolute favorite songs. So it's not like I have only one specific album I love.
Definitely make sure you listen to the second album/full version ("The Anthology") cause it's got big Folklore/Evermore vibes and a lot of the best songs are there. I wish she'd released it as the main album!
Thanks. I'll probably listen to a few songs of the ones you liked best on YouTube before deciding wether to buy the album or not.
The whole "growing on you" thing with TS albums I only really had with Reputation. The other ones I kinda liked right away although some of the songs were slow burners and they crept up in my ranking over time. Dancing With Our Hands Tied comes to mind as well as Come Back... Be Here. Although every time I listen to the last one I get bothered by the line "But in my mind I play it back/Spinning faster than the plane that took you". Why would the plane spin? The engine spins!
Anyway. Great read as always. Even tho I'm not invested in or curiousl about the relationship drama surrounding her music, it's sometimes interesting to engage with people who are following it.