Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (October 3, 2025) • Page 65

I think the reason the downbeat tone on this bothers me is that it feels really unearned.

On Midnights and TTPS, everyone knew what she was going through and particularly with TTPS, she was pretty open that the songs were about her long-term relationship ending and the Matty Healy thing.

This seems to want to continue the slightly sad vibe, but neither Taylor nor the actual album give us any reason to think otherwise. I don’t want to come across as mean, but it seems inauthentic.

 

Taylor is about to enter her tradwife era and just blogpost about baking.

 

Idk, I don't really get that much of a sad vibe from this overall. It feels like there's a lot of joy and sweetness here even if its not bursting with pop bangers.

I also don't really feel any need for her to go away unless she wants to, I'd happily take another record from her next year if she feels like it.

 

It's actually wild how true this is lmao

 

I'll say 6.7

 

I’m going lower. They just panned the shit out of “Actually Romantic”

 

Yea but I just feel they would end up in the middle with it as a whole, but I am very open to being wrong!

 

On about 2.5 listens, I think it's fine to good. Opalite soars above the rest for me. I feel like this is an album that has a lot I love, but there's a line in almost every song that kind of takes me out of it. It does feel a little corny to chase the winking innuendo Sabrina/Chappell style. It just doesn't feel authentic to her, but who am I to say that. I'm really interested to see how this whole post-Eras tour part of her career is going to be viewed in 10 years.

CANCELLED! is the only one I downright don't like, it just feels so tone deaf to the moment. And I don't really feel like we have the """cancel culture""" of the 2010s anymore, anyway, so it also just doesn't feel timely.

Highlights other than Opalite: The Fate of Ophelia, Ruin The Friendship, Wish List, and Honey.

 

it's like whatever LLM Taylor used to write the lyrics of this album was trained off Pete Wentz blog posts

 

There's a lot of talk about why she went back to Max Martin and Shellback in a way where everyone things she went to them to get a certain sound from them, but is it possible she brought them in to give them a chance to show they can do something other than what they are typically known for? Obviously I'm not suggesting that they are hurting or need to prove anything, but this surely makes them a little more of a palatable option to the newer wave of songwriters (say Gracie Abrams for an easy example).

 

I don't think Max Martin needs an opportunity to show what he can do.

 

Well yes, I quite literally said that in my post.

Edit: ok I guess i kind of phrased it that way in my post, but it's not how I meant it. I'm just saying, I don't think he'd be an obvious choice to collaborate with a lot of the new rising stars, and this might open that floodgate for him.

 

Not a fan of this album

 

I did not expect to be reliving his dick pic today.

 

3.2

 

Yeah. I’m not getting sad vibes at all, outside of Ruin the Friendship.

Was thinking this morning - this is her Springsteen - Lucky Town. Not terrible, not the strongest. Both came out after exiting a really sad / tumultuous relationship period & when they finally found love & happiness.

 

lol my wife played me the song this am and said “ what does this sound like” and that was my response too. This album isn’t bad but the rollout and hype vs the content of the album is funny to me. I am generally annoyed with Taylor Swift but loved her stint with Aaron from the National. I think she should keep doing that. Bring an artist in that is a juggernaut in their genre and cowrite a record with them that is something really special and unique in pop music.

Our favorite game on release day is my wife saying “ what does this sound like” on 4 or 5 songs, and pinning the pop echos that are always in her albums. I was catching a news boys melody from the 90’s in the outro of one of the songs lol I will report back with my findings.

 

You know some deranged Swiftie will threaten P4K offices if this happens and I'm only half kidding.

 

Heard O Rod and I can also hear Weezer as well. It’s just begging for Weezer style guitars to kick in on the chorus and this would be a total banger.

 

Lmao also my feedback. If she’s going for that melody and song structure why not make it RIP.

 

Something something halsey tweet

 

someone check the liner notes for Pete. i think i found a lead to the IOH lyric comparisons

 

EXACTLY what I was getting at

 

I think the album is incredibly middling but I was also pretty serious when I said the Charli XCX digs are absolutely going to bite her this cycle with music publications (outside of RS, who has zero credibility when it comes to reviewing TS albums at this point). Not that she cares (though I think she really does), and it’s still going to sell a bajillion copies and have a handful of big singles.

 

I don't know this lore.