By Jade Glaister
I’m not fine at all and in a state of pain… that’s right, the breakup album of the decade was re-released, better than ever (and by that, I mean more devastating than ever). Taylor Swift fans everywhere are never ever getting themselves back together after listening to “Red (Taylor’s Version),” where Taylor Swift re-recorded her most emotional album to gain proper ownership. Instead of keeping the album identical to the original, Swift added many adjustments to her album, creating lots of excitement when listening to every song. One of the most unliked songs on the original album, “Girl At Home,” received many adjustments that significantly changed the mood of the song and made it a complete bop. Not only were the vocals and instrumentals upgraded on the album, but Swift also released nine songs from the vault, meaning they were written at the same time as the rest of the album but not included in the original release. With these, our ears were blessed with another Ed Sheeran collaboration as well as features by Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton. Right before the closing song on the album was the last time I felt at peace as Swift closed her version of the album with the uncut, ten-minute edition of her popular, heart-wrenching song, “All Too Well.” You do not have to convince yourself to stay stay stay listening to this song as you will be in an emotional state of shock from her incredible lyrics and their ability to make you feel like you went through the pain with her. If this still is not enough, Swift also released a short film to this song, featuring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, that will leave you all too unwell.
Moving on to a fantastic EP released this month, Gracie Abrams gave us “This Is What It Feels Like.” Maintaining her style of bedroom-pop, these songs allow listeners to connect with the themes as they provide more intimacy than typical pop songs. As her album reveals many relatable themes of self-isolation and self-realization over the past year from Abrams’ personal abrams, this connection adds a lot of emotion to the album, making it an incredible listen.
Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak, in their newly formed band Silk Sonic, released their debut album, “An Evening With Silk Sonic” this month. With their debut single, “Leave the Door Open,” holding a top spot on charts for months, the success of this album was expected. Listening to this album makes me feel like the coolest person in the world as this duo brings a great amount of retro groove to their songs. You can tell how much fun these artists had recording this album just from listening to it, bringing lots of joy to the listener. Midterms and finals ever make you feel down? Listen to some Silk Sonic and regain some swagger and confidence.
Now for the rundown of some other great albums and singles released this month, starting off with Snail Mail’s album, “Valentine,” which documents the various stages of love. This album displays a new phase in the artist’s life as she recovers from her past, displaying lots of vulnerability. “Sunshine” by OneRepublic is extremely catchy and contains a lovely theme of enjoying the bright parts of one’s life. Bad Suns have kept up a great reputation since visiting Mines during E-days and released the single, “Wishing Fountain,” that explores the pain of waking up heartbroken. Avril Lavigne is back with her song, “Bite Me,” which is a very fun listen. Lastly, Beyoncé continues to blow us away with her newest release, “Be Alive,” featured in the film “King Richard.”
