This is an absolute joy. Colourful, euphoric and feel-good, the opening track sees Swift forget about her ex, before embarking on a 18-song-long relationship with her new boy.
With every listen, it gets better. This may be the honeymoon phase that comes with any new album, however. The songs are fresh and new, exciting and vibrant. With pop music, the infectious nature and catchy choruses often intensifies the honeymoon period. You’re addicted and keep pressing replay, often forgetting about it a week later. Whether Lover possesses any longevity, only time will tell.
There are some brilliant tracks. ‘Paper Rings’ is infectious. A nod to her country roots with its zip – there’s a swing and jive to it. ‘The Man’ is empowering, positive and powerful. ‘Lover’ – the title-track – is the heart beat of the album, a cornerstone and centrepiece. The slow-swinging, balladry nature is a dream. As for the lead single, ‘ME!’, it’s painful, but it’s so fucking catchy that it might be the biggest guilty pleasure Swift has ever produced. I’m ashamed to admit I do actually like it.
It’s definitely too long, however. Cut it in two and you’d have an exceptional album. The second half is lacklustre, saved by the two lead-singles. Remove a handful of these filler songs and the album would feel much tighter as a whole. As a result, Lover becomes an album for the streaming age. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt comfortable not listening to an album in its actual order. Listen to the songs you like and move on. Create your own album, picking the best 10 and putting them in a playlist. Why not?
Lover ultimately shows Swift on good form. There’s several new sounds – the saxophone on ‘False God’ being a lovely surprise – whilst the throwbacks to the past are welcomed with open arms. We’ll see over the next few months whether this is to become a classic. But whether it is or isn’t, it’s been an absolute blast listening to it over the weekend at least.
