“1989”, released on Oct. 27, provides a plucky selection of 80’s-pumped and poppin’ songs as Taylor Swift manages to declare her unmistakable presence in a different genre, while maintaining a familiar touch to the album’s entirety. The artist crosses over into pop music with her glossy new tunes, selling a record-breaking 1.287 million copies in its first week of sales.
“How You Get the Girl”
For a smoother transition into Swift’s new sound, “How You Get the Girl” combines her trademark guitar acoustics with an underlying wave of 80’s beats. The song starts off with the singer’s instantly-recognizable vocals; her familiar guitar riffs transition into a solid, seamless medley of guitar strumming and funky disco pulses.
This track creates a fresh take on the young singer without completely eliminating the essence of her past songs. Swift succeeds in creating a song that makes listeners pause in order to fully comprehend the difference of her style in this fresh track, and reminds her listeners “of how it used to be.”
“Wildest Dreams”
“Wildest Dreams” treads out a more soothing, lilting melody in comparison to the other more vibrant and energized tracks in the album. From a deceptively-soft introduction, the young artist slowly builds the momentum of this track, rolling into a stronger chorus as it intensifies.
As one of the slower tracks in the album, Swift’s gentle vocals only sufficiently take a substantial part of the song’s focus, backed by ethereal harmonies and a stirring layering of synth-pop enhanced through an orchestra of string instrumentals. The song takes on a Lana del Rey-esque flair with its dramatic styling and flow, and Swift pleads to be remembered, “even if it’s in your wildest dreams.”
“Wonderland”
Fans can appreciate the more familiar style of “Wonderland,” reminiscent of past songs such as “Back to December” from her album “Speak Now.” It quickly crescendos from a chiming introduction and takes a frenzied turn, centering on the desperate story of a love destined to fall into madness.
The song transitions abruptly throughout its duration, shifting back and forth from the slower pace of the verses to the heavy chorus, creating a fast-paced, emotional rollercoaster for listeners to hold onto. Swift belts her way through the rest of the song and carries the same energy from the last verse of the chilling bridge “And in the end in Wonderland, we both went mad” to the end.