It was the start of October 2025, and Taylor Swift had just released her newest album, which for a Swiftie like me, made for a very exciting day. I bought tickets to go to her album release party for The Life of a Showgirl at the TIFF Lightbox with my bestie. I wanted to hear all the songs for the first time at the screening, so I made sure not to listen to the album right at midnight, or to any posts teasing song excerpts. One Uber ride that got into a mild car crash later, I finally made it to the screening. If anything was going to help me get over the stress of that crash, it was sure to be Ms. Swift.

Listen to the album here:

The theatre was surprisingly empty, with only a few other hardcore fans there instead of the countless screaming Swifties I was expecting. Maybe this was because it was too early on a workday—4:00 p.m. on a Friday, or perhaps this album didn’t get as much hype as I would have expected.

The screening started with an early premiere of Swift’s music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” which I unfortunately missed most of due to the crash. This album debut experience was formatted with Swift explaining the meaning and/or inspiration behind each song, then playing a lyric video, with a behind-the-scenes clip on how they filmed “The Fate of Ophelia” music video added between tracks every so often. As a cinema studies major who took a course on music videos last year, I found this especially fascinating.

I arrived in time for all of the second song, “Elizabeth Taylor.” This song was an instantly fun and catchy track for me. I was singing along as soon as the chorus first dropped thanks to the lyrics on screen. The way the beat enters during this part is very compelling. My main critique of the album is that many songs have memorable choruses but boring verses. This track sounds like a mix of Midnights and 1989, with its mellow pop sound. Following that is “Opalite,” which I would call a sister track to “Elizabeth Taylor” in many ways. This is another fun, upbeat pop song—not one of her best songs, but most certainly one that you will want to sing along to. This song had a bit of a retro feel to it, reminding me of music from the ‘50s and early ‘60s. I would say this track could definitely fit on Lover.

The next song, “Father Figure,” was inspired by the George Michael song of the same name. While this song isn’t bad, it’s certainly a skippable track for me. It just doesn’t offer anything that I find interesting or fun. It seems like background music, something to listen to while grocery shopping. The other skip-worthy songs on this album for me, for the exact same reason, are “Ruin The Friendship,” “Wi$h Li$t,” and “Honey.”

“Eldest Daughter” is a standout song for me. I never thought I could hear someone make the word “meme” sound so heartbreaking. The opening verse seems like what it would be like if Bo Burnham wrote a Taylor Swift song. The song’s pre-chorus (“I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness/I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool”) especially, reminds me heavily of Halsey’s album If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power, especially her ballads on the album. Both the melody and Swift’s singing style reminds me of Halsey’s whispy, melancholic, ethereal vocals.

“Actually Romantic” is a great anthem for anyone who’s ever had a hater. The riff used throughout the song reminds me a lot of “Victoria’s Secret” by Jax. In this song, rather than taking the hurtful comments to heart, Swift turns the hate she has revived to the other side of the coin, to love. Rather than Swift being the one who is embarrassed, she’s pointing out how it’s so much more embarrassing to be the person obsessed with hating another person, who doesn’t even care for you.

“Wood” is simply a bop. With its disco beats and uplifting chorus, it reminds me of a mix of Dua Lipa, Michael Jackson, and Harry Styles. This is a great song to play at a party. I don’t have much else to say about this track.

Next is “CANCELLED!” which sounds like it could come right off of Reputation. It’s giving Swift’s villain era or wicked witch, especially with a lyrical reference to the Witches in Macbeth with “something wicked this way comes.” This track is perfect for a Halloween playlist. But more than its wicked vibes, it offers a serious critique of cancel culture, although not quite in the way you would think. In this song she likely quotes far right commentator Candace Owens, who called Swift and Blake Lively (Swift’s friend) “girl bosses who flew too close to the sun” with regard to the lawsuit Lively has against Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment. In Swift’s song she sings, “Did I girl boss too close to the sun?” While this song may initially seem like a typical conservative critique of so-called left wing cancel culture (which it could be, as Swift has connections to MAGA supporters), it also offers a critique of the current right wing cancel culture such as Donald Trump’s recent attempt to cancel Jimmy Kimmel. For progressive listeners, such as myself, this song can be interpreted as an anthem against the current rising fascist culture in the United States, which desires to judge, silence, and ‘cancel’ anyone who thinks differently than what Trump and his allies say you can think or say. This is the only slightly political track on the album though, which I found disappointing, especially as Swift has not outright supported any progressive ideals on this album like she somewhat used to, such as on Lover. Instead she has spewed some more conservative leaning ideas (such as on “Wi$h Li$t” with, “Have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you… Got me dreaming about a driveway with a basketball hoop/Boss up, settle down, got a wish list/I just want you”).

The final song is “The Life of a Showgirl,” which tells the story of Swift’s rise to fame and the advice she received from a pop star to stay out of the harsh music industry. Sabrina Carpenter’s part in this track is a really fun addition. Also, it is meaningful to have a pop legend singing with a new pop star, as it shows how Swift has now become the woman she once looked up to for young artists like Carpenter. There is a really sentimental moment for fans at the end of the track of the two artists, with a clip of Swift and Carpenter together thanking fans on the Eras Tour.

Even though the album had finished, I was lucky that they played “The Fate of Ophelia” again, so I finally got to both hear the song and see the music video. The music video was as artistic and elaborate as one would expect of a Swift video, with many sets, costumes, and backup dancers. This song offers a retelling of the story of Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and what would have happened if Ophelia’s life hadn’t ended in madness and tragedy. This song is very catchy and definitely one of my favourites on the album.

After we left the theatre, my friend and I wanted to take a photo with the album poster. Two fellow Swifties offered to take our photo, and then one of them noticed I had no friendship bracelets and gifted me one that says “Mother Swift.” This reminded me just how kind and supportive the Swiftie community can be.

While I personally enjoy this album, it is not as profound as folklore or as badass as Reputation. However, it is still really fun. I’ve heard some say the album is mid, and while I soundly say it’s not mind blowing, it is enjoyable and certainly better than her last album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology which was about 20 songs too long. This album is fun, emotional, clever in parts, uplifting, and makes you wanna dance and sing out loud.