Taylor Swift is Dead, but her ‘Reputation’ isn’t

Written by: Kimmy McKernie, Staff Writer

Taylor Swift’s new album Reputation, was released on Friday November 10. She shows off her interest in hip-hop and R&B in her new voice. Though it lacks her signature tone and emotion, Reputation is a fiery clapback to her haters and is set to become the best-selling album of 2017.

Swift’s latest album sold more than 700,000 copies on release day. Billboard reports, this number has grown to over 925,000 by Sunday. The pop star’s sixth studio album is expected to sell over 1.5 million records by the end of the week.

If Swift sells 1 million albums by the end of this week, she’ll break her own record of having four consecutive albums sell a million copies in their first week, according to sales data tracker Nielsen Music.

As far as reviews of the actual album, she’s the star of the show yet again. Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times said, “Taylor Swift’s talent remains intact on Reputation, her most focused, most cohesive album yet.”

Swift has been posting “thank you’s” on Instagram with pictures of her critics’ reviews.

 

The most noticeable feature of Reputation, is its aggressive and lavish display of craftsmanship. She’s cool, detached and vicious. The album is filled with hair-raising bass drops, vacuum-cleaner synths and stuttering trap percussion. Swift’s lyrics conjure a sense of foreboding illuminating her betrayal, heartache and disappointment. Despite the negative connotations, there are plenty of bright spots celebrating new love with dance-floor-conscious beats, engaging in sonic textures that extend the barriers of contemporary pop-R&B.