I absolutely adore Taylor Swift, so when I heard she was releasing a new album titled Midnights, I was pumped.
I was hoping we were going to be getting more folklore or evermore vibes, but this new release definitely is a pop album. Like, peak pop Taylor.
So, the sound wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean that they’re aren’t still songs that are brilliant lyrically and that are on many of my current playlists.
The big standout for me is (the #1 song in the Billboard Hot 100) “Anti-Hero” because I think Taylor perfectly captures what it feels like to be anxious and depressed.
I relate to so many of these lyrics as someone who struggles with anxiety and deals with the exact spiraling thoughts that convince me that my own daughter-in-law will in fact hate me and kill me.
Like, I get the absurdity of the “sexy baby” lyric… everything about this song just hits me directly in the feelings. It’s got all of the same self-loathing vibes as a Zach Bryan song.
Except for the sound.
I always feel like acoustic versions and stripped-back versions of songs with such deep meanings make the songs more impactful. That way, we can really focus on the lyrics.
So when I stumbled upon this country version of the new Taylor Swift song on TikTok, I was instantly obsessed. I just liked the video and moved on, though, thinking, “That was fun… wish we had a full version.”
Well, lo and behold, Josiah and the Bonnevilles did release an entire version to streaming platforms.
And it is incredible.
This version features guitar, harmonica (the best instrument ever), and Josiah’s voice. It’s just so good because the truly depressing feelings of the lyrics come through.
The folk vibe Josiah and the Bonnevilles brings to his version of the song kinda reminds me of a mix between Tyler Childers and Noah Kahan, who just released his album Stick Season.
It falls more in the folksy side, but the harmonica definitely adds a country flavor to the cover.
You really should check it out if you’re loving the lyrics of the new Taylor Swift album, but the sound isn’t your taste.
