Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn Step Out in N.Y.C. Ahead of 'Midnights' Release

The Image Direct Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn are taking a bite out of the Big Apple!

Just days before the release of her upcoming 10th studio album Midnights, the "Willow" singer and her actor boyfriend were photographed on a walk in New York City.

Swift, 32, wore a long black sweater, plaid skirt and black tights with a recycled Ralph Lauren bag from 2010 as she smiled next to Alwyn, 31, who donned a long-sleeved green sweater and blue jeans.

The Conversations with Friends star, who wore glasses, also held tight to a book as they walked.

The Monday outing came just three days before the release of Midnights, which Swift previously hinted will contain a track called "Lavender Haze" inspired by her romance with Alwyn, whom she's been dating since 2016.

"I happened upon the phrase 'Lavender Haze' when I was watching Mad Men, and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool," Swift said in a video shared on Instagram. "And it turns out that it's a common phrase used in the '50s, where they would just describe being in love."

RELATED VIDEO: Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn's Love Story Is All About 'Happiness Without Anyone Else's Input'

She then explained, "If you were in the lavender haze, then that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful."

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"I think a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just like 'public figures,' because we live in the era of social media," she said. "And if the world finds out that you're in love with somebody, they're gonna weigh in on it."

RELATED: Taylor Swift Says Midnights Song Inspired by Her Relationship Is About Protecting the 'Real Stuff'

Though she didn't mention Alwyn by name, Swift said that in her current relationship, she and her significant other have had to stay strong in the face of public scrutiny.

"Like my relationship for six years, we've had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it," Swift said. "And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff."

Though Alwyn is an actor by trade, he's also flexed his songwriting muscles with contributions to recent Swift records.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift

He co-wrote "Betty" and "Exile" off the star's 2020 album Folklore under the alias William Bowery, and also produced six tracks. On Evermore, he co-wrote "Champagne Problems," "Coney Island" and the title track. There has also been fan speculation that Alwyn co-wrote an as-yet-unreleased track on Midnights.

The Boy Erased star told GQ U.K. in May that he does have a musical background, and used to perform in a band called Anger Management while in school.

He called his album contributions "the most accidental thing to happen in lockdown," as he was just "messing around on a piano and singing badly and being overheard."

"The idea was that people would just listen to the music rather than focus on the fact that we wrote it together," he said. "It was fun to do it together, and I was proud of it. It was nice getting such a positive reception."

RELATED: Taylor Swift Teases Mysterious 'Midnights' Lyric in Times Square as She Unveils Release Schedule

Ahead of Midnight's release, Swift teased a brand-new lyric on Monday via a billboard in New York City's Times Square: "I should not be left to my own devices…"

The song lyric arrived around the same time that Swift unveiled the album release week's promotional schedule in a video shared across her social media pages. "Mark your calendars! Meet the Midnights Manifest," read the post's caption.

Among the various album-related promotional ventures is a "special very chaotic surprise" that Swift said will arrive at 3 a.m. EST Friday morning, as well as an "Anti-Hero" music video at 8 a.m.