The album has already broken streaming records. It broke the record for the most streamed album in a single day in Spotify history. Swift didn't stop there, though – Midnights also broke the record for the biggest pop album of all time on Apple Music by first-day streams. 

 Journalism sophomore Nora Fleming said she thinks “Midnights” is a nod to Swift's 2019 album, “Lover."

“I think that 'Midnights' kind of reverted back to the 'Lover' era, where there were fun songs but not really a cohesive story unit," Fleming said. "It wasn’t my favorite album of all time. I don't think it was awful. ... There were a few good songs but it's not something that I'm like, 'this is so iconic,' like the singles from '1989' or 'Lover,' even. ... 'Midnights' isn’t going to stack up that high compared to her past albums."

Public relations sophomore Ryan McMillan says the record isn’t in his top three Swift record favorites, but it also isn’t at the bottom. 

“I’ve listened to it a couple times so my opinion is going to change in the future, but as of now I really do like a lot of the album," McMillan said. "I really like the sound and what she was going for. ... She’s not going to stick to the same thing for the rest of time, which I think a lot of people expected."

At the time of publication, all 13 songs from the standard version of “Midnights” occupied all top 13 slots of the global Spotify chart, making the 13 songs the biggest female-streaming debuts in history. 

“I really liked the song 'Question...?' ... What I enjoyed most about this album is the casual phrases that she uses," Fleming said. "It was kind of a reflection on a relationship gone wrong and you have questions for someone, obviously, after a relationship ends. I found it to be pretty relatable."

McMillan’s favorite track comes from the "Midnights (3 am edition)" that Swift dropped just three hours after releasing the standard version.

“I think my favorite song as of right now is one of the bonus tracks, 'Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,'" McMillan said. "I think the way it's written is very interesting and it’s a very interesting story. It’s a lot different from the songs on the standard edition but I think it really stands out from the rest of them."

Swift's lyrics are usually at the forefront of conversations with fans after a new release, leading to analysis, relation and deep dives of connections to what Taylor may be referencing. 

“I really like one of the lines in one of the 3am version tracks, ... 'Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,'" environmental science junior Jenna Drew said. "I like when she says 'Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.' ... It feels very impactful and it's kind of like she’s taking back her girlhood that was stolen from her."

 Swift announced “Midnights” at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards and revealed the albums tracklist through a TikTok segment named “Midnights Mayhem With Me.” Closer to the release, she shared lyrics from the record on billboards around the world. 

“I think her marketing for it was very much Taylor Swift, dropping hints but not giving you the full thing,” Fleming said. Swift is known for dropping "Easter eggs," or hints to upcoming works.

McMillan thinks Swift's decision of letting the listeners go in blind was effective. The album did not have any traditional singles prior to release, leaving fans in suspense over what the album would sound like.

“There were no direct clues on how anything was going to sound, ... so I was willing to hear anything,” Mcmillan said.

Though Swift just dropped “Midnights,” she is still in the process of re-recording her catalog. Drew thinks Swift avoids over-saturation with her usage of subtle Easter eggs.

“I think the easter egg stuff she does really keeps people into it because they’re always guessing things," Drew said.

Midnights by Taylor Swift is available for streaming everywhere.