Has Taylor Swift jumped the shark?

One year after the release of her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is back with an encore. Specifically, The Encore, four tracks that have polarized critics and Swifties alike, from the country-esque number one hit “Patient Zero” to her ode to married Ohioan bliss, “Cleveland!” For some, the new songs lean into Swift’s worst writing impulses. But for others, including our hosts (and resident Swiftologists) Charlie and Nate, the tracks call back to earlier eras of Swift’s songwriting, and perhaps evoke more nuanced discussion about what it means to release music as the biggest artist in the world. The question is: are we ready for it? 

CREDITS 

Reanna Cruz: Producer 

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 

Dion Lee: Art Director 

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 

Nick Ripps: Video Editor 

Nate Sloan: Host 

Lissa Soep: Editor 

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

Songs discussed:

Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”

Taylor Swift, “Cleveland!”

Taylor Swift, “Pink Clouding” 

Taylor Swift, “Babylon”

Taylor Swift, “Red”

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