Nearly a year after Taylor Swift’s record-breaking 12th album release, “The Life of a Showgirl,” it was revealed to great surprise that this era has more to show. After many easter eggs, “Patient Zero” was announced as a single, complete with new photos, alternate versions (acoustic and piano) and alternate covers, sparking murmurs across the internet of a potential new album release. The rest of the “Encore” was announced the very next day, with a total of four tracks set to release on Sept. 25. “[We] just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs” said Swift in the Instagram post. Each track tells a different story, each one being uniquely different from each other and the album that preceded them.
The first of the new tracks is the single itself, “Patient Zero,” which truly feels like a one-sided conversation—or a warning. Swift attempts to reach out to the new partner of her ex (a relationship left for good reason), to try and protect them from what’s to come. The song starts with the suspicion that this partner may need help, which carries through into the chorus. “If you’re sick of him, I got you,” sings an empathetic Swift, remarking upon the several patterns in this new relationship that just seem to be too familiar. The story of the lyrics carry this track even if it falls short musically at times. Set to a synth-like tune with a light, jumpy bass reminiscent of “Midnights,” the chorus stands out as the strongest part of the song, while the bridge seems to musically fall apart.
The music video to “Patient Zero,” starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrel with Taylor Swift premiered at MTV’s Video Music Awards with Swift winning the new artist director trophy. The tone of the video detaches this song further from the glittery showgirl. The scenery is pared back, bleak, cold and gray—a sterile place to fit the theme of a toxic relationship outbreak. The song tells a story, and the music video does not deviate far from it. Swift and Johnson remain mirror images of each other, a pattern that Farrel’s character does not seem to miss. “I thought you were different,” he says to Johnson’s character, to which her reply was “Different from who?” It seems as though some patterns cannot truly be broken.
Next is “Cleveland!” which—let me make it really clear—is not as much about the city as it is the person who brought her there. “Cleveland!” is a happy song, a sort of response to hate comments about Swift and her relationship with her husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “Hate all you like… this is the love of my life,” sings Swift in an attempt to prove to the world that she is unfazed by the media. The track itself is cheery and light. The combination of bells, light percussion and bright piano make it the most like the glittery songs in “The Life of a Showgirl.” While not the most revolutionary song musically or lyrically, it wonderfully balances happy and sarcastic tones. Swift’s unadulterated joy despite the media is nearly infectious, and it’s hard to not smile when listening in. The song has a bridge reminiscent of the outro from “Daylight” from Swift’s seventh album, “Lover.” “You only need to find one person in this entire world who doesn’t find you completely insufferable,” concludes Swift, “I found mine.” It is this happy declaration that cues into the end of the song.
The third “Encore” track is “Pink Clouding,” a song that after three listens makes you realize that the lyrics are not nearly as cheerful as the upbeat, ethereal melody may indicate. The song begins with several pink synonyms, the construction of rose colored glasses that allowed the couple to avoid very clear red flags. “Neither of us knew at the time that I was a liar,” reflects Swift, “I still wonder how to tell you sorry.” This dissonance makes the song really interesting, though it’s hard to feel those themes of regret or guilt through the upbeat melody. The connection to “The Life of a Showgirl” is marginal at best, and these themes are not new, yet the track in itself is musically strong.
“Encore” concludes with “Babylon,” a song I am convinced is straight from the album “evermore” from the light guitar and the exposed vocals. It’s an austere song that chastises the idea of moving forward too fast with no appreciation for the present. Swift comments upon the “twenty watches in the safe ‘cause your time is money,” describing this emotionless climb to the top. Home life is just too mundane, with “[no] elbows on the table and the neighbor’s lawn,” Swift describes this need to move forward as detrimental to the people left behind, a feeling that only ends with regret for never giving these people enough attention. These memories are described as a song, and “that melody is all you want,” when it is gone. It is with this moment of regret and recollection that “Encore” ends.
To frame these songs as an “Encore” is perhaps the main complaint I seem to have with these four songs. “Cleveland!” is the closest to the style of the “The Life of a Showgirl” era, but the rest of the songs seem to be rather disconnected. To further increase this disconnect, the entirety of “Patient Zero”—especially in the music video—seems to completely be in dissonance, with a clear lack of glitter that was present in the “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite” music videos. This passion project isn’t really a continuation of a previous era, and it doesn’t need to be. Forcing the era into these songs almost reads as a marketing play over a genuine gift to the fans, and it doesn’t help that the pre-sale for “Patient Zero” began before the rest of “Encore” was even announced.
Though they needed some time to get used to, the new “Encore” tracks are not a hard listen, but it’s safe to say that these four songs are unique, and not necessarily from any other era. At the very least, “Encore” serves as a moment to appreciate “The Life of a Showgirl” for the phenomenon that it was, every track telling a different story.