The Fate of Ophelia
Certified banger. Keeps her literary references (Ophelia, but make it a bop), flips them into something upbeat and happy. Feels like the thesis of the whole album: she used to be sad, reflective, drowning in metaphorical rivers, but she’s been saved from her tragic fate. Now we get a pop album to celebrate. Honestly? Shakespeare could never.

Elizabeth Taylor
Solid follow-up. Continues the themes from the opener, production is fun, and the drums are BACK. 

Opalite
So much fun! About creating man-made happiness, just like opalite is man-made (and shoutout to our favorite Kansas Citian, Travis Kelce, whose birthstone this is). 

Father Figure
Taylor sings about buying her masters back like a boss. She doesn’t just own her work — she is the music industry. Scooter Braun is crying somewhere.

Eldest Daughter
Switches up the vibe (maybe necessary after the strut of the last track). Looks at why Swift became who she is. Some say the lyrics are shallow and expected more depth. Personally, my issue isn’t the words — it’s the production which feels kind of boring.

Ruin The Friendship
Meh. Not terrible, not memorable. A filler track you skip after the second listen.

Actually Romantic
Iconic. Should honestly be sung by Reneé Rapp.  People think it’s a diss track aimed at Charli XCX (a response to “Sympathy is a Knife”), which… fair. But Taylor has a long line of haters, from pop girls to the literal President Donald Trump. So this could be about anyone! Either way, it’s deliciously petty.

Wi$h Li$t
I support her dreams, but in this political climate, do I want to listen to Taylor sing about wanting to be a tradwife? Not really. Still, she’s allowed to put “wife and mom” on her vision board. (We all had embarrassing Pinterest boards in 2014, let’s not judge too hard.)

Wood
My favorite track on the album. It’s stuffed with double entendres, and while some people have called lines like “new heights of manhood” cringe, I think it’s hilarious. Let her be goofy! Let her flirt! If we survived “Me!” we can survive her being horny.

CANCELLED!
This one stirred the pot. Critics called it tone-deaf and privileged. And yeah, she is a billionaire. But here’s the thing: she owns it. The song balances her acknowledging unfair criticism while also flexing that her life is actually great. She’s not pretending to be a struggling underdog anymore, she’s saying, “Yup, I’m rich, famous, and thriving, and you still hate me.” 

Honey
Sweet but not a standout. The lyrics are solid though, about how pet names used to feel condescending, but now that she’s in love, they’re actually… well, honeyed. Cute, but not the one I’ll be replaying.

The Life of a Showgirl (Ft. Sabrina Carpenter)
My least favorite. It may be the title track, but it doesn’t capture the themes or energy of the album at all. Sabrina kills the bridge, but the rest? It feels like they cut a Midnights B-side and just slapped it here for marketing.

Key Takeaways

• Taylor Swift is a millennial, which means some lyrics are destined to be “cringe.” (Sorry, Gen Z, she’s not writing exclusively for TikTok captions.)
• She is in love. Like, nauseatingly, hopelessly, Disney-princess-in-the-last-ten-minutes-of-the-movie in love.
• She knows she’s on top, and at this point nothing can stop her (Father Figure, CANCELLED!, Actually Romantic).
• Despite the album’s title, this isn’t really about the gritty behind-the-scenes life of a showgirl. It’s about Taylor winning. In love, in fame, in life. It’s her victory lap, moving from sad-girl reflections to upbeat, sparkly triumph.

Everyone’s favorite Disney Channel icon turned pop star has released a new album, and it is blowing up the Billboard 200 charts. Sabrina Carpenter’s new album “Man’s Best Friend” has continued her pattern of irony and innuendos in songs, while mixing in her impressive vocal range. Carpenter is a world renowned pop sensation that took over the world by storm in 2022 with her first album emails i can’t send. Her song Manchild was released prior to the album as a single and fans went wild. Atwood Magazine’s writer Danielle Holian stated that the song was, “bold, theatrical, and playfully pissed off. More importantly, it feels fun.” The song is about how Carpenter tends to fall for men that act like “manchildren,” —something that almost all women can relate to.

Bold music can be seen throughout the rest of “Man’s Best Friend” as well. One of the leading songs of the album is called “Tears,” and it is one of Carpenter’s many double-meaning songs. The song centers around the idea that all a man has to do to earn a woman’s love is be responsible. She mentions examples such as doing the dishes or assembling a piece of IKEA furniture. Her words hint at a very real critique in society where women don’t always want grand gestures but would rather choose a man who listens to them.   Another song that is receiving love on this album is “When Did You Get Hot?” This song is centered around a scenario where Carpenter runs into an old friend that she didn’t find  attractive as a young girl. However, when she runs into him  later she realizes that he has “become hot all of a sudden.” This cheeky song is meant to highlight the emotions a person can feel when it comes to running into an old acquaintance with a new look. Whether it be after you have had a glow-up or the other person has, there is always some level of surprise and satisfaction for either party.

Despite the album’s success and songs landing spots in the top 3 of the Billboard 100, Carpenter has repeatedly faced criticism for the album’s cover photo. The picture is of her on all fours as a man holds her hair as a leash. Sara Delgado, a writer for Teen Vogue, stated in an article that, “Many have pointed out the image bears a strong resemblance to ‘misogynistic ads from the ’60s.’” and “others claim that the photograph is intended for the male gaze.” However, even with this criticism brought forth by fans, the album is continuing to earn a top spot on the Billboard 100, and in the hearts of listeners everywhere. This new wave of testing boundaries in music is continuing to grow in popularity, and it looks like the singing powerhouse Sabrina Carpenter is just getting started.

Art inspires art; this has been a truth for as long as people have been creating. The alternative singer Hozier takes this concept to a whole new level in his third album, “Unreal Unearth,” which reimagines the story of Dante Alighieri’s 13th century work, “Inferno.” Hozier explained how he drew inspiration from this famous work in an interview with GRAMMY.com: “[Dante’s ‘Inferno’] is a poem about a person who’s wandering through this sort of underworld space, and in each circle, they meet with a new person who shares their grievance, their pain, their experience. That was something I allowed myself to play with a little bit — that each song starts with my voice, but it allows into itself and the license to just let the song grow to where it needs to be. Let the voice explore the idea that it needs to explore.”

There are 16 tracks on the album, each one taking you further into the underworld. There is a clear line of thought throughout the entire album. It does not feel like a collection of individual songs, but rather a story, woven together by melodies and brilliant lyricism that allows each song to flow into the next, like the chapters in a book. The cohesiveness of this album sets it apart from Hozier’s other work. Each harmony – each word – feels carefully chosen to transport the listener to this new universe.  

When the album was released on Aug. 18, “Francesca” quickly became a fan favorite. At its heart, “Francesca” is a love story, but it is not a happy one. This song delves into the depths of commitment and love, drawing parallels to the tragic love story of Francesca de Rimini, one of the souls trapped in the infernal circle. While her affair with Paolo Malatesta was condemned as a sinful act, Hozier’s interpretation reframes their story, infusing it with humanity and depth. He portrays them not as victims of their circumstances but as an unwavering force confronting the storm, refusing to be broken by it. The final line of the song proclaims “heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I.”

“Eat Your Young” is unlike anything I have ever heard before. It manages to capture an almost sexy quality while at the same criticizing the military-industrial complex. “Eat Your Young” takes place in the fourth circle of hell: greed. This song encapsulates everything that makes this album so amazing; it’s unique, thoughtful and well-produced. The music drives the story along and helps show the hunger of the narrator. The lyrics provide haunting visuals that stick with the listener long after the song has ended: “Skininn’ the children for a war drum /  putting food on the table selling bombs and guns / it’s quicker and easier to eat your young.” This song’s brilliance lies in its ability to be both intellectually sharp and emotionally resonant. It challenges the listener to confront uncomfortable truths while immersing them in a musical experience that is as thought-provoking as it is engaging. 

My favorite track on the album, a song by the name “Unknown/Nth” tells the story from the ninth circle of hell. It’s heartbreaking, detailing what it feels like to be unknown in a relationship. Hozier encapsulates an innate human feeling, a desire to be seen, to be known, to not have to constantly be translating your soul, but instead have someone who understands the very being of who you are. This song talks about what it feels like to yearn for that understanding while constantly falling short. The betrayal in the song is not that the subject has left, it’s that they never understood in the first place. “It ain’t the being alone / It ain’t the empty home, baby / You know I’m good on my own, baby, you know, it’s more the being unknown,” Hozier sings in the chorus.

Others have criticized the album, saying that the production takes away from the meaning and impactfulness of the lyrics. “Sometimes Unreal Unearth’s poppy production palette – the crisp electronic drums, the over-compressed vocals – can downplay just how idiosyncratic Hozier’s songwriting is, actively distracting from a song’s subject matter,” writer Amina Cattaui said in The Michigan Daily. However, this “mix-match” seems to be part of the appeal. It’s true that Hozier doesn’t dumb down his songs, and often tackles serious topics in his work, but the poppy musicality can make his work more approachable. Listening to music should be fun, and those moments when Hozier takes an almost light-hearted approach to his subject matter only improves the listening experience. 

In the end, “Unreal Unearth” is a brilliant album that takes the stories of Dante’s “Inferno” and breathes new life into them. Hozier is able to tackle dense and complex ideas and emotions without ever coming across as pretentious. The journey that unfurls throughout the album is magnificent and showcases what makes Hozier’s music different. “Unreal Unearth” is Hozier’s best album yet, and totally worth a listen.

“When am I gonna stop being wise beyond my years and just start being wise?,” 20-year-old artist Olivia Rodrigo asks on “teenage dream”, the final track of “GUTS,” her newest album, which was released last month. After all, it’s not every day that one’s 2021 debut album wins three awards at the Grammys, including one for Best New Artist. “GUTS” seems to pick up right where “SOUR,” Rodrigo’s debut album, left off. Rodrigo takes her audience through a journey of breakups (“vampire”), rebounds (“bad idea right?”) and mental health struggles (“lacy” and “making the bed”).

Rodrigo keeps the same style in “GUTS” that made her famous for “SOUR,”  switching between punk and pop ballad several times throughout the album and, occasionally, in the same song. “all-american bitch,” for example, goes from screaming in the bridge to a calm ending, before jumping right back into the bass-heavy “bad idea right?”. When I listened to the album straight through, the ambient sounds in the ending of one song rolled straight into the start of the next one. I love hearing small details like that in an album. 

When “SOUR” was released in 2021, I claimed—and still believe—that there’s not a bad song on the album. That statement continues for “GUTS”. Every song on the album is good. Below are some of my favorite tracks with the musical bits that make them wonderful:

Track 1: “all-american bitch”

I’m not in the target demographic for this song, but I like how it addresses societal expectations. In an interview with Apple Music, Rodrigo said she was trying to express “the feeling of…trying to be put into a box as a girl.” Favorite line: “I’m the eternal optimist / I scream inside to deal with it…”

Track 2: “bad idea right”

Musically, this song is one of my favorites. Right after the line “I cannot hear my thoughts,” the bass ramps up and makes everything feel chaotic.

Track 5: “ballad of a homeschooled girl”

As someone who grew up in a small, religious school and came out with questionable social skills, this track hit me like a ton of bricks. My favorite line in this one is “I made it weird, I made it worse / Each time I step outside…”

Track 6: “making the bed”

This is the best track on the album, by far. In this song, Rodrigo writes about anxiety— how people can turn themselves into the victims and take everything as a sign that people hate them. The desperation is palpable, and my favorite line in the album is here: “They’re changing my machinery, and I just let it happen / I got the things I wanted, it’s just not what I imagined.”

Track 8: “get him back!”

The wordplay here is stellar. We’re either talking about revenge or wanting to get back together, and Rodrigo weaves those two threads beautifully in this track. The bridge is second-to-none.

At this point, I’m going to trust my guts (pun absolutely intended), stop rambling, and unequivocally recommend this album. Whether you like upbeat and energetic or slow and thoughtful, this album has something for everyone.