Song of the Week: Taylor Swift Is the “Anti-Hero” of the Story After All
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Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Taylor Swift doesn’t hold back with the hyperaware, self-loathing “Anti-Hero.”
Ahead of the release of her new album, Midnights, Taylor Swift shared a video to Instagram providing some insight into the subject of “Anti-Hero.” “This song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself,” she said plainly.
Somehow, that feels like a bit of an understatement for how fully Swift digs into her own paranoia and need for control with this song. She leans all the way into the theatricality and absurdity of it all, both in the song and the accompanying music video (more on that in a moment). “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money she thinks I left them in the will,” she says, as if that’s the most normal confession in the world. “Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby and I’m a monster on the hill,” she explains elsewhere.
Swift has been in the public eye for so long and in so many different ways that she herself is probably completely exhausted by the discourse most of the time. Yet she can’t help herself from engaging sometimes, as this song proves — and her own narrative here gives the sense that she, too, wishes she didn’t feel the need to set the record straight at certain points. The music video is jam-packed with Easter eggs and a few familiar faces, with Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Early, and Mike Birbiglia playing out her deep-rooted fear of her children fighting over her will after she’s gone.
Swift is infamous for her secret messages, clues, and winks to her audience. “I should not be left to my own devices,” she concludes. Her expansive imagination lends itself to her craft and typically leads to incredible attention to detail and immersive worlds for listeners to lose themselves in. The double-edged sword aspect of this, though, is that her imagination often leads her into traps she set for herself, too.
All of this can be summed up in one of those Taylor Swift lines destined to take on a life of its own: “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.”
— Mary Siroky
Contributing Editor
Honorable Mentions:
Dry Cleaning – “Hot Penny Day”
Dry Cleaning have always flirted with absurdity, both lyrically and sonically. Off-kilter turns of phrases and pointed instrumentation, in fact, make up a large part of their appeal. Yet, “Hot Penny Day,” from their new album Stumpwork (also out Friday, October 21st), might take the cake for the English group’s most absurd effort yet. The tune is built upon a funky bassline, for which bassist Lewis Maynard absolutely abuses his wah pedal. The chorus then introduces bleating horns while Florence Shaw delivers some of her most memorable word concoctions to date. “Hot Penny Day” is worth listening to for the line “Is it still okay to call you my disco pickle?” alone. — Jonah Krueger
Militarie Gun – “I Can’t Stand Busy People”
For most of Militarie Gun’s All Roads Lead To The Gun EP, the Los Angeles rockers deliver high-energy punk rippers with loud performances and in-your-face vocals. Even when the band slows the tempo, they’ll keep their rebellious streak in full focus. It’s not until “I Can’t Stand Busy People,” the penultimate track on the deluxe version (also out today), that listeners get their first real cool down.
The band unplugs for the tune, offering a folkier, brit-pop-tinged jam that manages to upkeep All Roads Lead To The Gun’s absurd sense of fun. “You look like some fucking clowns, you busy people,” vocalist Ian Shelton softly sings before tapping back into his Isaac Brock-ish yelp for the chorus. It’s fun and intensely listenable, making it an easy introduction to the wild world of Militarie Gun. — J.K.
First Aid Kit – “A Feeling That Never Came”
“A Feeling That Never Came” might be the most irresistible single from First Aid Kit’s upcoming album Palomino yet. Surprisingly upbeat and energetic, the tune continuously builds upon itself, adding strings, a chugging guitar, and driving drums to the song’s acoustic baseline. Johanna and Klara Söderberg’s signature harmonies, of course, are also out in full swing, this time supporting a relentlessly catchy melody. Paying attention to the lyrics reveals the song’s melancholic undertones, yet the tune is so sonically uplifting that First Aid Kit will have you dancing over the tale of failed love. — J.K.
Smut – “Unbroken Thought”
“Unbroken Thought,” the new single from band Smut, is a nostalgic tune with its feet planted firmly in the present. Known for their luscious blend of trip hop and shoegaze, the band evokes a Mazzy Star-does-DIY quality on their latest love song, as lead singer Tay Roebuck reflects on the passage of time and the needy feeling that comes with meeting someone you want to spend it with. Perfect for long drives in fall weather, “Unbroken Thought” drifts in and out of focus like a daydream, carrying you along on its shimmering synths and steady beat. — Maura Fallon
The Hails – “Exonerate”
This bouncy new single is a fresh look into the future of The Hails, who have been refining their sound and image since their breakout hit “Younger” in 2018. Robbie Kingsley’s voice is as smooth as ever, but sonically, an electric swagger permeates the track that not only holds our attention, but makes us want to move — which is fitting for a song about listening to the advice of friends. The four-on-the-floor rhythm ensures a constant groove, jazzy keys hit up-beats for flair, and tangy guitars hover in the background creating a bright atmosphere. They confidently embrace their pop influences, and come out better for it. It’s a fun ride, simultaneously feeling like a new direction for the group and an obvious next step for the Miami boys. Plus, it comes just in time for their performance at III Points Festival in Miami this weekend (October 21st-22nd). — Andre Heizer
Marcus King – “Crazy”
Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” is a “moment in time” track. An encapsulation of genius between producer Modest Mouse and singer CeeLo Green, the duo’s debut was a tour-de-force that defined the 2000s musicscape. With a song as defining and robust as “Crazy,” it offers artists an opportunity to cover it with their own creative spin.
On Marcus King’s rendition of the track, the blues artist incorporates a layered, afrobeat sound that plays to both the strengths of himself and the band backing him. The horn arrangement wastes no time establishing itself, but the strings and keys are also given ample opportunities to shine, including a blues-fueled guitar solo before the track’s ending inclusion of Fela Kuti’s anthemic “Zombie.” King himself is dynamic, making the adaptation his own while giving a proper salute to Gnarls Barkley. — Joe Eckstein
Allison Mahal – “Autopilot”
Singer-songwriter Allison Mahal’s “Autopilot” is a song that takes its time. The quietly devastating and reflective release touches on everything from childhood to modern romance, daily distractions, and the passage of time. It’s a fantastic vocal performance from the rising artist; by the time the crest of the wave is reached and she ushers us back down again, it feels as though she’s stepped into some of her own power. — M. Siroky
Top Songs Playlist:
Song of the Week: Taylor Swift Is the “Anti-Hero” of the Story After All
Mary Siroky
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