Staff Writer August Moss (Rebekah Bushmire)

The second this song started and kicked in with the guitar and beat, I was immediately hooked. She starts off singing in her absolutely gorgeous low range, and it just “Hits Different.” The first time she does the whisper sounding “Say Don’t Go” it really gives off classic Taylor. This song is “1989” in real time. It really reminds me of “You’re losing me,” with its upbeat yet heartbreaking lyrics. It keeps the pop sounding melody that “1989” was supposed to give while showing her development, and still having a “Speak Now” touch with the guitar at the beginning of the song. 

Features Editor Grace Lovejoy (Rebekah Bushmire)

The vibe of this song is very “Midnights.” This song compares to her song cameos in the Amazon Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” I love how calm the song is, but it also has some edge. The line “And you kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever,” demonstrates this. The only line I don’t really understand is “I didn’t come here to make friends.” I feel like it doesn’t really fit the story of her finding her true love. Overall I love the 1950’s suburban references and it’s a very catchy song.

Managing Editor Lulu Vitulo (Rebekah Bushmire)

The production from the start feels very similar to her “Midnights” album, of course being still produced by Jack Antonoff, and she keeps her voice in the lower range that she’s matured into for that album as well. There’s a sudden switch to a high octave that is practically angelic, and she pushes her lyrics to create a heightened, anxious feel, which fits the lyrics of that part as she’s talking to her mother because she’s stressed about a failed situationship.

Staff Writer Mikayla Carrino (Rebekah Bushmire)

This song is “Midnights.” The background music gave that feel 100%. This song portrays the media’s derogatory perspective of her as a “Sl–!” I definitely believe that this song is her response to the criticism Taylor has faced by the public eye of her dating history. I loved how brave she was to make a song about it.

August

This song is “1989.” If I had to pick out a song to describe all of “1989,” it would be this. Everything from the sound, to the lyrics, is so Taylor. Her voice in the little “Ah!” that gets repeated throughout the whole song is very classic “1989.” The bridge has been on repeat in my mind every day since I first listened to the track. The words, the beat, just everything absolutely took off on every social media.

Grace

This song really reminded me of her song “Out of the Woods” which is also from “1989.” I have repeatedly listened to this song since it came out. When she says “blue dress on a boat” it is most definitely referring to her and Harry Styles’ boat date when she wore a blue dress. There was a note she hit towards the end of the song that was exactly like “Out of the Woods” if you played them side by side they would be the same. Overall it was such a great song I wish she had released it sooner. 

Lulu

Definitely one of the catchiest songs Swift has written, although there’s plenty of competition. To me this was a perfect ending track that really went back to the original “1989” production that I think a lot of Swifties were missing from the other vault tracks. It’s also packed with imagery and wording; one of those Swift songs that make people talk about the magic of her “pen,” her amazing songwriting ability. 

Mikayla

I think this was the best song of the album. Very catchy, very “1989” and in my opinion the only one that sounded like “1989.” The background music and the extra sounds like the “Ah” every once in a while, everything about this song was perfect.