Review: Taylor Swift Takes A New Direction With ‘Reputation’ - But Is It The Right One?

Let’s be real here - Taylor Swift hasn’t impressed many with the way she's marketed and teased her highly-anticipated album reputation.

While 1989 was always going to be tough to follow — selling over 10 million copies worldwide — when we finally got a track from reputation, it was the egregious, electroclash-inspired Look What You Made Me Do, marking a cringeworthy "new Taylor" that appeared petty, self-centred and hellbent on leaving behind her positive, universal, stadium pop sound for a contrived, edgier one. Even to those who have followed her ascension to pop queen closely with the stunning Red and banger-filled 1989, it raised a few eyebrows. 

Second single ...Ready For It? was markedly better received, seeming more like a natural progression from 1989’s Blank Space or Bad Blood, while Gorgeous and Call It What You Want were further throwbacks to a sweeter, safer Taylor Swift. 

This week, news emerged that Swift's team was tracking journalists reviewing and critiquing the album with an iron fist, making sure embargoes were not broken and more important still, she wasn't being compared to Hitler. Then it was revealed Swift would apparently be keeping her new release off streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music for at least a week, forcing even the most casual, inquisitive, "let's see what the fuss is about" listeners to either purchase or wait, and making the narrative around the album even tighter still, controlled and scrutinised, by Swift's team. 

Bottom line: it seems many, like myself, have gone into reputation with a lot of conflicting feelings. Each single’s release has invited a flurry of 140-character (or 280- now!) criticisms on Twitter and numerous hot takes on what Swift seems to be constructing, or reconstructing, about her image and sound. Most other artists and their releases don’t receive this sort of dissection pre-album release.

So, keeping in mind all this discourse that has no doubt influenced our thoughts on the album already, we listen to reputation in full, track by track. 

...Ready For It?

This is a perfect opener. It's got that difficult-to-quantify banger value, and those super-fast hi hats add a sizzle to the track. The beginning of the chorus is a Swift calling card and rest of it is just explosive. This 100% should've been the lead single, especially since she's been regularly throwing the "let the games begin" line out to promote the album. 

End Game feat. Ed Sheeran & Future

Whoa, very hip hop-driven and our first drop of the word "reputation". Future’s rap verse is surprisingly early on (like within the first minute?) then Sheeran’s got the second verse - he’s got his half-rapping hat on too. Whoa, even Swift is half-rapping! The chorus is a bit bland but feel like this one might grow on me. It feels like a real collaboration between the three artists though, rather than a last minute guest spot from the guys. 

I Did Something Bad 

This one sounds like the first chapter of Look What You Made Me Do, acknowledging her changing reputation and how she attracts drama and narcissists. Oh, hello! Huge chorus that I didn’t expect — very trappy. The verses are very pared back though, and give Swift an opportunity to air her grievances towards the media and her critics: "they're burning the witches even if you aren't one / they got their pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons / so light me up, light me up". Bold.

Don’t Blame Me

It's clear the strong synth and electronic sounds of this decade is a strong undercurrent carrying us through this record. This one's a love song but bears no similarity to Swift’s past teardrop-soaked piano or guitar ballads, though there is a hint of gospel in there. I'm not a big fan of this track, it seems a little filler-y, though the lyrics do seem deeply personal ("I've been breakin' hearts a long time, and / Toyin' with them older guys / Just playthings for me to use"). 

Delicate

Ah, the word "reputation" is back. She's sticking close to the theme. Echoey vocals start us off then we're into a dancehall kind of beat, and the chorus is a shadowy, whispery one. It reads like a love letter to actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn and a warning to him about her closely scrutinised life. It's a cool track - very different. Reminiscent of 1989’s Style somehow. 

Look What You Made Me Do

This song is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Sonically it makes sense sitting in the album, but I don't like it any better within a body of work. Right Said Fred, Peaches and Taylor Swift just do not mix. Next song… please, just finish now… oh god, there's like two minutes left…

So It Goes... 

This song feels very same-same to Don't Blame Me, kind of typical pop-EDM with heavy effects (for her, anyway) on her vocals. It's all very bombastic stuff but personally it feels a little ill-suited to Swift's vocals. She did come from a country background, after all. 

Gorgeous

Yes, the lyrics are cringeworthy and very pre-pubescent but maybe she's throwing back to her teenage times. Maybe they're lines from her high school diary! It's a good track, though, and isn't overbearing with her new electronic sound. 

Getaway Car

The warbling first couple of seconds sound so Daft Punk. Hmm, there's a nice pace to this one. Ah, a reference to Love Story! Her vocal delivery is playful here - she yells “Go! Go! Go!” and she spits out other lines to portray the panic and exhilaration of running away. Lots of pop culture references in this one: Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name, Bonnie and Clyde, her own music. I can see the music video to this now - a 1967 Mustang cruising through the night, Swift looking out the window behind her, drone shots. 

King Of My Heart

More vocal effects and leaning heavily into the crisp EDM production here, but some very interesting percussive elements in the chorus make it HUGE and add character and interest. This one's awesome and is the best showcase of her darker sound. 

Dancing With Our Hands Tied 

A drum'n'bass beat almost! Then the chorus is some straight up future bass a la Flume. I'm interested to see if she's got some EDM purists willing to convert after listening to this one…

Dress

A breathless, sexy love song aimed presumably at her beau and calling to mind 1989’s Wildest Dreams. Cute, though, and smells like longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. Looks like Dress and the rest of the album are all co-written and co-produced by Swift and Antonoff. Love the silent moment! 

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Feels like heaps of her electronic beats are really similar on this album, so I'm not sure if this one will stand the test of time. It's a callout to her fake friends, the presumptuous media and those who don't care about the "he said, she said" narratives surrounding her. Another example of super personal writing from Swift — after all, she did promise she would be addressing the role the media plays in her life. It's got a big sarcastic Taylor Swift guffaw too. 

Call It What You Want 

Our last single before the album release, this one feels like a 1989 B-Side but sits comfortably in reputation too. It's definitely an earworm and another apparent ode to Alwyn. 

New Year’s Day

Last track! A piano! Just her voice! She's painting a picture of the aftermath of a NYE party in one of her New York penthouses, probably. There are some beautiful harmonies from Swift here and it's a nice ending to the album, literally like the lights have gone up and everybody's ready to go home from the ride that's been reputation.