It was exciting enough to get a surprise appearance from Taylor Swift at the VMAs on Sunday night (August 28th), and, in true Taylor Swift fashion, she had more surprises up her sleeve than just showing up.
Swifties are known to be incredible sleuths, piecing together the most cryptic of clues. Eagle-eyed fans don’t let the smallest details pass them by, using notes from anniversaries and easter eggs over the years to predict the next move from an occasionally unpredictable pop star. Last night was a bait and switch — even this writer was convinced that if we were getting any kind of announcement, it would be for 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Wrong!
Instead, while accepting the VMA for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault),” the only song I’ve ever seen to include three parentheticals in its title, Swift decided to mention that a brand new album, titled Midnights, is coming out this fall.
That’s right — a brand new album, not a re-recording (as fun as those releases have been so far). Her social media bios changed to “meet me at midnight,” encouraging fans to tune in for more information an hour and a half later, when sparse details were revealed.
Here’s what we know so far about Midnights, Taylor Swift’s new album — and keep checking back, as we’ll update this page once we learn more.
The Release Date
Midnights will be released on October 21st. There’s something about a fall record from Taylor Swift that just feels right — it’s a time of transition, a time of romance and yearning, or a time of heartache and recovery. folklore and evermore were released at the end of summer and early winter, respectively, but they bookend the season, and tracks like “cardigan,” “willow,” and “ivy” all have a certain autumnal energy to them.
By the time the release date for Midnights rolls around, it will have been almost two full years since we had a new Taylor Swift album to enjoy — fall can’t come quick enough.
Title and Tracklist
Swift provided a fair amount of insight for the album title, but remained more cryptic about the tracklist. In posts to her personal social media accounts, she shared, “This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve…we’ll meet ourselves.”
As for the songs waiting in Midnights, Swift stuck to her favorite and most signature number, thirteen. It’s not yet clear if the way they’re laid out on the artwork she shared will be the final song titles — “Track One, Track Two,” etc. — or if we will get names as we get closer to release date.
Update (October 7th): Swift has revealed the full tracklist for Midnights. Check it out:
Midnights Tracklist:
01. “Lavender Haze”
02. “Maroon”
03. “Anti-Hero”
04. “Snow on the Beach” (featuring Lana Del Rey)
05. “You’re on Your Own, Kid”
06. “Midnight Rain”
07. “Question…?”
08. “Vigilante Shit”
09. “Bejeweled”
10. “Labyrinth”
11. “Karma”
12. “Sweet Nothing”
13. “Mastermind”
Update (October 6th): Swift has been doing a TikTok series called “Midnights Mayhem With Me,” during which she gradually reveals the Midnights song titles. So far, she has shared that track 2 is titled “Maroon,” track 3 is called “Anti-Hero,” track 11 is titled “Karma,” track 13 will be called “Mastermind,” track 8 will be called “Vigilante Shit,” track 9 will be titled “Bejeweled,” track 7 will be called “Question…?” and track 6 will be called “Midnight Rain.”
In announcing “Anti-Hero,” she called the song “a real guided tour throughout all the things that I tend to hate about myself.” She added that she “struggle(s) a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized… I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”
@taylorswift Midnights Mayhem episode 2, featuring special guest Meredith 😺 #TSmidnighTS #SwiftTok #MidnightsMayhemWithMe
