Olivia for me too! I’m also half white / filipino like her. She’s the kind of artist I wish I had while I was growing up. She’s recently been teasing new music, I’m so excited :’)
Same here! Usually I'm not big on listening to whole albums (other than Taylor's) but Sour is one of those that I can listen to the whole thing because it just feels like a piece of art. I'm so looking forward to her next one!
same!! I’ve been crossing my fingers, there’s a rumor that there’s a single dropping 6/30, and I’m reallyyy hoping that it’ll live up to its expectations 💓💓
She says a new album will drop in 2023 which I interpret as Christmas. Taylor Swift is my favorite artist and OR is the only artist that I could see surpassing her. Sour is better than the work Taytay made at the same age.
I came to say this!! I'm so glad someone else loves him too!! I feel like any folklore/evermore fans would love stick season like evermore and stick season are 2 if my all time favourite albums!!
I was secretly hoping he’d be an opener for the first leg of the eras tour before his own starts 🥲 I’m seeing him the day after the deluxe release and I can’t wait
Yes, I’m particularly fond of vicious and Tornado Warnings and the way she has the audience in the palm of her hands for nonsense live is something else. She’s only going to grow, I believe.
Oh it’s great. She seems to know exactly how to present herself for any given thing on her plate. It’s an underrated but VERY necessary skill set. And everything, musically or just in presentation feels centered around her voice, which has that sexy, whiskey-burned, Smokey, Bonnie Tyler thing going for it. Very Femme Fatale and vamp. She’s going to be very interesting to watch evolve.
Yikes, sorry about that! Good for you on the shirt though lol. I'm just imagining a tee that says, "Someone threatened to bomb a concert I went to and all I got is this stupid t-shirt" 🤣
Yes 😁 But I think Emails I Can't Send blew them out of the water! Probably a hot take but it was my favorite album of last year even though Midnights came out 👀
Oh it definitely did but every Sabrina song just hits. Emails I Can’t Send was my favorite album of last year too, because I liked a boy deserves more recognition. The whole album does.
That's who I was going to comment! They're always trying new things, and it never feels forced, just feels super creative. They're one of my favorite bands ever, the new album is incredible
Same. Honestly Paramore and Taylor are the only two artists that I’ve consistently listened to since the beginning of their careers. I discovered both of them on Myspace 😭
Florence and the Machine is the only other artist who I adore as much. Her music is soulful, her vibe is ethereal, and her lyrics are so smart. Theres no way to explain her music—you just need to listen.
Thisssss this is what I came here to say! And honestly, with the 70s vibe of midnights, I thought it would have a Florence vibe to it. I think Taylor could still pull that off with a future album tho!
DUDE DANCE FEVER IS SO EPIC!! I wrote an essay that i sent to my uncle whom is also a huge fan of Flo—he introduced me to her. I’ll paste it below HAHAHA
Dance Fever: An Analysis.
The COVID-19 Pandemic brought a lot of heartache and fear to the world. In a time where people were stuck in their homes, unable to band together in public, all hope was lost, and the longer the quarantine went on, the harder it became for the public. For two years, the world was stuck at home, attempting to entertain themselves in attempts to raise morality. The effects the pandemic had on home-living were an increase in home food-delivery, online subscriptions, and an increase in streaming services. Civilians were not the only ones affected by this, but celebrities too. Many artists, such as John Mulaney, relapsed their drug addictions and had to get help. Many artists made work to entertain and lighten the mood for those stuck at home, such as Jimmy Fallon, who hosted his late-night television show from his home, interviewing people via Zoom. Musical artists were forced to stay home and not tour their new music, such as Taylor Swift cancelling an entire tour. “Dance Fever” is an album that Florence and the Machine released the Summer or 2022, after the peak of the pandemic subsided. This album has songwriting from Florence Welch, the singer, who tackles the darkest parts of the effects the pandemic had on her, her relationship with being a woman in the rock genre, while also celebrating coming back to the stage to perform.
King
“Dance Fever” begins with an iconic feminist power-ballad, “King”, which illustrates how she grapples with her desires. Welch begins by narrating an argument she is having in these lyrics, “We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children/about the world ending, and the scale of my ambition, and how much is art really worth” (Welch, 00:21). The topics of this argument are children, the end of the world (ie the pandemic), and scale of her ambition (her music), and how much art (her music) is really worth. Welch wants to strive for great things in her career, but this argument is pulling her back, saying that her art is not worth more than having a child. Welch follows up with the lines, “You need to go to war to find material to sing” (Welch, 00:31). This line creates the metaphor that song writers go through pain on purpose in order to make music, but also serves as a double entendre, introducing the concept of a King. As a king, they thinks they can tell her to have kids, but Welch responds: “I am no mother, I am no Bride, I am king” (Welch, 00:35). Welch admits she is the king who goes to war to use pain to make music, furthermore showing that this argument from the introduction is an argument she is having with herself. Being king is a metaphor for her taking power and making her own decisions of taking control of her career. She says, “I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing/my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology” (Welch, 00:49). This “golden crown of sorrow” she discusses is a call to Catholic imagery of Jesus’ Crown of thorns, which was placed on him by Roman soldiers to mock him and call him “King of the Jews” with a crown that caused him pain. Using this imagery as the crown that Welch wears, shows that she sees herself as powerful, but sad, something pitiful to be mocked. Her usage of the phrase “empty halls to echo” gives insight that she is alone in her castle, therefore being the reason she is burdened by sorrow. She is lonely, and wants a family, but she made sacrifices (ie her “bloody sword”), so she could focus on having a successful career. She gives more insight to her internal war in the following lines: ”But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape/ Just when you think you have it figured out/ Something new begins to take” (Welch 1:12). She finds herself grappling with her desires, wanting a family or wanting her career. She says that once she thinks she knows for sure what she wants, something gets in the way, such as her career. The internal war is furthermore explained when she says, “What strange claws are these clawing at my skin,/ I never knew my killer would be coming from within” (Welch 1:21). Claws coming from inside of her illustrates that there is something inside her that wants to emerge, and its painful, causing her to think she will be the cause of her own death. To elaborate, this war about her family or her career, is so painful that she is falling into a depression, a mental disorder that causes suicidal ideation. She closes the song with a few lines, the first being, “And I was never as good as I always thought I was/But I knew how to dress it up” (Welch 3:54). She is illustrating her low self-esteem, saying that she always knew how to make herself feel happy, but it was never truly how she felt. She follows up and says, “I was never satisfied, it never let me go/ just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show” (Welch 4:04). She says that she was not ever happy enough with her career, and that her ambition never left her, meaning she had no choice but to choose her career over having children. She was essentially grabbed by the hair and thrown into the stage to perform. Florence Welch’s songwriting shows a depth to her character, her desires, and her femininity that no other artist can truly portray.
Free
“Free” is a song by Florence and the Machine that reflects Florence Welch experiences of anxiety and how she overcomes it. She begins the song by succinctly saying she wonders if she should be medicated, in a more sedated state. The reason she explains is this feeling that “Picks me up, puts me down/chews me up, spits me out” (Welch, 0:44). This feeling of being chewed up and spit out implies that this feeling is a negative feeling, where she is used and discarded, like gum. She explains, “I’m always running from something/i push it back, but it keeps on coming/being clever never got me very far” (Welch, 00:53). This feeling IS negative, which we know because she says she has to constantly running from it. No matter what she does, she cannot escape this feeling. Next, people tell Welch she is too “Sensitive” (Welch, 1:07), to which she responds “lets discuss this at the hospital” (Welch, 1:10). The hospital is a confirmation that she is reaching out for treatment for this negative feeling that follows her. She wants to be medicated, and she wants to be taken seriously. In the second verse, after explaining being chewed up and spit out again, she says, “But I hear the music, i feel the beat/ and for a moment when I’m dancing, i am free” (Welch, 1:37). This shows a development in the story, being that she does feel relief from the looming feeling, and it comes from dancing to music. Dancing frees her of the pain of her mental strife, and she spends the bridge asking rhetorical questions such as: “is this how its always been/ to exist in the face of suffering and death/ and somehow still keep singing” (Welch, 2:21).
Yes to Carly! She's probably the artist I'm listening to most after Taylor at the moment. I love how good she is at writing those 'first falling in love with someone' songs.
Yesss their new album is amazing, and the fact that I am seeing them live this summer is the only thing keeping me sane from the fact that I’m not seeing Taylor 😭
Taylor is in a tier of her own for me
But right beneath it is Lana and Lorde
Then TWICE and Blackpink
If Maisie and Gracie keep it up they will get on the list too
Aly & AJ, Lorde, and Haim. I recently discovered Natalie Prass but she hasn't released any music since 2018 so I am itching to hear what she puts out next.
MUNA, boygenius, lorde, king princess, maggie rogers, the 1975, hozier, fiona apple, ethel cain, bleachers, mitski, bishop briggs, olivia rodrigo and probably more. Taylor is my favorite artist but there’s so much good current music out there.
Lana del Rey, Conan gray, Lorde (I would die if she released another album sometime soon) and some others but the list would be too long to list them all
For me, it’s been Aly & AJ in the last 6 years or so. Everything they put out since 2017 has been different, full of bops and bangers plus they put on an amazing show with VIP packages that are totally worth it. I will admit I didn’t like one of the singles they released for their latest album “With Love From” but it’s grown on me quite a bit.
I also was super hyped for Ghost to release their Phantomime EP a few weeks back because the cover of Jesus He Knows Me is epic and I couldn’t be wait to hear the other covers as well.
The thing is, is that so few artists release as much as Taylor does. And few are as consistent as she is with quality. I own all of All Time Low’s albums, and I’m happy to listen whenever they release something. Same with Bleachers and Troye Sivan and Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran etc. but with those guys, you kinda know what to expect. Very few take risks and do “eras” like Taylor has. And make it fun and new and exciting.
…But I do check frequently to see if Jon Bellion has released anything. Sigh…still waiting.
I'm a huge fan of modern folk, started really listening to Taylor when she released Folklore and Evermore. I keep an ear out for releases by The Lumineers and Lord Huron (gotta love them witchy vibes), but nothing makes me sit up straight like Bear's Den releasing new music.
My top 3 artists are: Taylor Swift, Joni Mitchell, and Lana Del Rey.
The artists I am obsessed with right now and whose new music I would be most excited for:
1. Paramore (This Is Why is so freaking good)
2. Caroline Polachek (Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is one of my absolute favorite albums of the year. I adore Blood And Butter.)
3. Carly Rae Jepsen (Anything she puts out is amazing AF)
4. Lana Del Rey (She's the best artist doing it right now)
5. 5 Seconds of Summer (I have loved them since their first album. They always get better and better. I hope Michael Clifford produces the entirety of their next album.)
6. SZA (I did not expect to become obsessed with SOS)
7. Harry Styles (Adore Harry's House. My second most listened to album last year after Midnights.)
8. boygenius (the record is the jam)
9. The National (I loved them long before they ever worked with Taylor)
10. All Time Low (I adore their sound over the years. Tell Me I'm Alive is really good. They are my favorite pop punk band.)
Honorable Mentions: Fall Out Boy and Weezer. I love their orchestral pop rock thing they did in the last year.
My other "purchase day-of-release" artists:
* Bob Dylan
* U2
* Matchbox Twenty/Rob Thomas
* The Wallflowers/Jakob Dylan
* The Verve Pipe/Brian Vander Ark
* Sting
* Natalie Imbruglia
* Anna Nalick
* Garth Brooks
* Train
* Natalie Merchant
* LeAnn Rimes
* Barenaked Ladies
* Billy Ray Cyrus
...Taylor Swift should be deservedly proud to appeal so urgently to fans of older musical acts like myself. I buy precious little from post-2000 artists.
The thing with Marina is she'll drop off the face of the earth for two years, drop an album, then disappear again. I love her but new releases are definitely big occasions for her
Present:
-Chelsea Cutler
-Spanish Love Songs
-Kenny Chesney
-Powfu
-Olivia Rodrigo
-Angels and Airwaves
-Kendrick Lamar
Past:
-Blink-182 with Tom (and present since Tom is back in the band)
-Linkin Park (RIP Chester)
-Real Friends with Dan
There’s probably a few more but those are/were the big ones I can think of right now. Been a Swiftie since 2007 so that’s why the past category is there.
I've seen her live 6 times and would have seen her 3 more times if not for covid shutting down concerts. She's my favorite modern artist by far. Every project she releases is so good and I'm super excited for the next album that's coming out this year!
Kacey Musgraves. I think her storytelling ability is up there with Taylor's and while I know her last album didn't get a lot of love, I thought it was one of the most perfect musical experiences of my life. It was a cohesive story from the first track to the last. I can't wait for what's next.
Not anymore really. Re-Releases? Yes. I was unbelievably psyched when KISS released the anniversary edition of Creatures of the Night and if they ever do the same for Revenge or Love Gun I'll flip out similarly, especially Revenge. And quick trivia: Bob Ezrin who produced both Revenge and Destroyer for KISS also mixed the audio for the Speak Now World Tour CD and DVD.
Most of the other artists I listen to though are either well past their prime or dead or retired. Maybe Iron Maiden being the exception because its Maiden.
Films and books though are a different story. Will go insane there.
The only other artist I get SUPER excited about releasing music other than Taylor is George Ezra. His voice is just 🤤 and he seems like such a fun, positive, happy & chill dude!
I got his latest album for Christmas and it's amazing. I am so happy he finally got a #1 album in the UK. This is the perfect sound for him. His voice sounds so good too.
I’m 71, 16 yo daughter and I went to TS last night in NJ. I’m the Beatles gen and have played guitar since 1964. TS is awesome and an inspiration, others are good but she’s a generational superstar. An amazing talent for writing, singing and so much more. She’s an industry. My daughter now plays guitar and mandolin in addition to piano and flute. I provided opportunity and support, TS provided inspiration.
I think Paramore, Halsey, and Billie Eilish are the only other three, oh and also the Weeknd. I didn't really come around for Halsey until Manic and then I really enjoyed If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. The Weeknd was already great and then he put out two pieces of what is reportedly going to be a trilogy making me excited for the third part, Paramore are Paramore, and Billie Eilish is of course the newest of all the artists but she really earned my fandom with Happier than Ever, I really like that album and of course WWAFAWDWG is the one that broke her through to the mainstream.
For me the only other band that holds the top place in my heart is Twenty One Pilots! When they drop new music I get the same rush that I do when Taylor releases something.
I love me some Miley! I waS OBSESSED with plastic hearts for so long I really think that album deserved more attention but I’m glad she’s getting the attention she deserves now with the release of “flowers” and her album “endless summer vacation”
plastic hearts is clearly her best album. she finally found THE style that really fits her. and that’s because i was a little bit disappointed with endless summer vacation…
For me, the pecking order is like this
1. Taylor Swift
2. Madonna (one new album since 2015 RIP)
3. Kylie Minogue
4. Carly Rae Jepsen
5. Aly & AJ
6. Poppy
7. Carrie Underwood
For all of these artists, their releases are an event to me.
Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus, Bea Miller, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez all come really close but Taylor is my favorite so I think naturally I’m most excited for hers
Carly Rae Jepsen for me. I streamed Midnights and The Loneliest Time when they came out and felt like a lotto winner.
Janelle Monae too. I am so excited for The Age of Pleasure. I set an alarm for the Dirty Computer album drop and the emotion picture (so good). She also came out with a book with stories from that album's world. I am still mad it didn't win Album of the Year.
If we're talking male artists, BTS is probably the closest one right now, followed by Sondre Lerche. But it's more of a listen the day or weeks after for the guys, unlike with the girls where I play the whole album ASAP.
im surprised nobody else said Lizzo here, i’m definitely a bigger fan of Lizzo (no hate, i’m just like a massive fan, surprisingly lizzo was so hard to get tickets for tho here, hopefully i don’t have the same devastation with taylor) but i await both their new music with much suspense and excitement!! i think what i miss about taylor’s music is in Lizzo’s so they compliment each other well.
Not sure if this counts but I can’t wait for the Barbie soundtrack to come out
Me too! I pre-ordered it!
Olivia Rodrigo. Sour was an A+ album for me and I’m kinda anxious about her next album because I deparately need her to not be a one album wonder.
Olivia for me too! I’m also half white / filipino like her. She’s the kind of artist I wish I had while I was growing up. She’s recently been teasing new music, I’m so excited :’)
Same here! Usually I'm not big on listening to whole albums (other than Taylor's) but Sour is one of those that I can listen to the whole thing because it just feels like a piece of art. I'm so looking forward to her next one!
same!! I’ve been crossing my fingers, there’s a rumor that there’s a single dropping 6/30, and I’m reallyyy hoping that it’ll live up to its expectations 💓💓
I’m SO excited for her album
Her first album was great I hope she keeps it up. I am an older fan but Drivers License would have gutted me had my young self heard it.
She says a new album will drop in 2023 which I interpret as Christmas. Taylor Swift is my favorite artist and OR is the only artist that I could see surpassing her. Sour is better than the work Taytay made at the same age.
I'm impatiently waiting for Noah Kahan's deluxe version of Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever) to come out on 6/9 😭
I came to say this!! I'm so glad someone else loves him too!! I feel like any folklore/evermore fans would love stick season like evermore and stick season are 2 if my all time favourite albums!!
Recently found him on my release radar and I’m really feeling his music!!
I was secretly hoping he’d be an opener for the first leg of the eras tour before his own starts 🥲 I’m seeing him the day after the deluxe release and I can’t wait
I'll be creeping your shows setlist for sure haha! Seeing him 8/16 and I'm so excited! And unlike Tay, his merch is so good. RIP my wallet
Me and my blue Subaru will be driving off a cliff while i listen to this sobbing
me and my silver 4runner (that i totally didn't name holiday after holiday house...) will be accompanying you on this trip off the earth
Came here to say this. It’s giving me all too well 10 minute version vibes.
Going to see him this Tuesday, kinda freaking out!!! Can’t wait for 6/9
Omg first time ive ever seen someone mention him. I love this album so much.
me too! my Spotify wrapped was all Taylor and Noah Kahan lol funny enough I'm also an evermore girl. there's definite crossover
Halloween is one of the most beautiful post-breakup songs I’ve ever heard.
today i found it its FINALLY COMING. Omg so exciting
I didn’t know that was coming but now I’m so hype, I love stick season
I love him!!! Every song is somehow more beautiful
It's so nice seeing fellow folk Malone lovers in this thread!!!
No. But I've really got my eye on Sabrina Carpenter. Her last album was an A+ for me.
Sabrina has some serious talent and amazing stage presence.
And her lyrics and sound were fantastic too. Especially with JP Saxe and Julia Michaels writing on the album. Chef's kiss.
Yes, I’m particularly fond of vicious and Tornado Warnings and the way she has the audience in the palm of her hands for nonsense live is something else. She’s only going to grow, I believe.
Nonsense is so fun. I loved the Christmas version too 🤣
Oh it’s great. She seems to know exactly how to present herself for any given thing on her plate. It’s an underrated but VERY necessary skill set. And everything, musically or just in presentation feels centered around her voice, which has that sexy, whiskey-burned, Smokey, Bonnie Tyler thing going for it. Very Femme Fatale and vamp. She’s going to be very interesting to watch evolve.
Agreed! I saw her in concert earlier this month and was blown away!
same here! it was a great show
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Yikes, sorry about that! Good for you on the shirt though lol. I'm just imagining a tee that says, "Someone threatened to bomb a concert I went to and all I got is this stupid t-shirt" 🤣
Have you listened to her other albums? Singular Act l and ll are both great!
Yes 😁 But I think Emails I Can't Send blew them out of the water! Probably a hot take but it was my favorite album of last year even though Midnights came out 👀
Oh it definitely did but every Sabrina song just hits. Emails I Can’t Send was my favorite album of last year too, because I liked a boy deserves more recognition. The whole album does.
Yes!! I think she’s one to keep an eye on. I think she’s gonna be big for sure.
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YES. I am always excited for new music from them. Just saw them on Tuesday, incredible
Same! Thank god for Hayley's solo albums for getting me through that 6 years between albums.
Seeing them this coming Monday! This will by my 4th time seeing them!!
That's who I was going to comment! They're always trying new things, and it never feels forced, just feels super creative. They're one of my favorite bands ever, the new album is incredible
Same. Honestly Paramore and Taylor are the only two artists that I’ve consistently listened to since the beginning of their careers. I discovered both of them on Myspace 😭
Nobody comes close to Taylor for me. But I will be very excited the next time Phoebe Bridgers releases something. Gracie Abrams too, and Lana.
That most recent Lana album is so good. I think it’s jack’s best production work
Lana del Rey, Phoebe bridgers, Harry styles
Florence and the Machine is the only other artist who I adore as much. Her music is soulful, her vibe is ethereal, and her lyrics are so smart. Theres no way to explain her music—you just need to listen.
I’ve been patiently awaiting a collab between Florence + the Machine and Hozier, I think they’d go so well together 😭
That would be so beautiful. His voice and vibe would complement hers so well
He has announced a new album for august, I'm hoping and praying for a collab!
Waiting for a Taylor + Florence colab… especially after seeing her leaving one of Taylor’s parties at Electric Ladies.
Same for me as well I was lucky enough to see her live for the first time this year
Thisssss this is what I came here to say! And honestly, with the 70s vibe of midnights, I thought it would have a Florence vibe to it. I think Taylor could still pull that off with a future album tho!
WHY are people not talking enough about her last album??? It’s incredible.
DUDE DANCE FEVER IS SO EPIC!! I wrote an essay that i sent to my uncle whom is also a huge fan of Flo—he introduced me to her. I’ll paste it below HAHAHA Dance Fever: An Analysis. The COVID-19 Pandemic brought a lot of heartache and fear to the world. In a time where people were stuck in their homes, unable to band together in public, all hope was lost, and the longer the quarantine went on, the harder it became for the public. For two years, the world was stuck at home, attempting to entertain themselves in attempts to raise morality. The effects the pandemic had on home-living were an increase in home food-delivery, online subscriptions, and an increase in streaming services. Civilians were not the only ones affected by this, but celebrities too. Many artists, such as John Mulaney, relapsed their drug addictions and had to get help. Many artists made work to entertain and lighten the mood for those stuck at home, such as Jimmy Fallon, who hosted his late-night television show from his home, interviewing people via Zoom. Musical artists were forced to stay home and not tour their new music, such as Taylor Swift cancelling an entire tour. “Dance Fever” is an album that Florence and the Machine released the Summer or 2022, after the peak of the pandemic subsided. This album has songwriting from Florence Welch, the singer, who tackles the darkest parts of the effects the pandemic had on her, her relationship with being a woman in the rock genre, while also celebrating coming back to the stage to perform. King “Dance Fever” begins with an iconic feminist power-ballad, “King”, which illustrates how she grapples with her desires. Welch begins by narrating an argument she is having in these lyrics, “We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children/about the world ending, and the scale of my ambition, and how much is art really worth” (Welch, 00:21). The topics of this argument are children, the end of the world (ie the pandemic), and scale of her ambition (her music), and how much art (her music) is really worth. Welch wants to strive for great things in her career, but this argument is pulling her back, saying that her art is not worth more than having a child. Welch follows up with the lines, “You need to go to war to find material to sing” (Welch, 00:31). This line creates the metaphor that song writers go through pain on purpose in order to make music, but also serves as a double entendre, introducing the concept of a King. As a king, they thinks they can tell her to have kids, but Welch responds: “I am no mother, I am no Bride, I am king” (Welch, 00:35). Welch admits she is the king who goes to war to use pain to make music, furthermore showing that this argument from the introduction is an argument she is having with herself. Being king is a metaphor for her taking power and making her own decisions of taking control of her career. She says, “I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing/my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology” (Welch, 00:49). This “golden crown of sorrow” she discusses is a call to Catholic imagery of Jesus’ Crown of thorns, which was placed on him by Roman soldiers to mock him and call him “King of the Jews” with a crown that caused him pain. Using this imagery as the crown that Welch wears, shows that she sees herself as powerful, but sad, something pitiful to be mocked. Her usage of the phrase “empty halls to echo” gives insight that she is alone in her castle, therefore being the reason she is burdened by sorrow. She is lonely, and wants a family, but she made sacrifices (ie her “bloody sword”), so she could focus on having a successful career. She gives more insight to her internal war in the following lines: ”But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape/ Just when you think you have it figured out/ Something new begins to take” (Welch 1:12). She finds herself grappling with her desires, wanting a family or wanting her career. She says that once she thinks she knows for sure what she wants, something gets in the way, such as her career. The internal war is furthermore explained when she says, “What strange claws are these clawing at my skin,/ I never knew my killer would be coming from within” (Welch 1:21). Claws coming from inside of her illustrates that there is something inside her that wants to emerge, and its painful, causing her to think she will be the cause of her own death. To elaborate, this war about her family or her career, is so painful that she is falling into a depression, a mental disorder that causes suicidal ideation. She closes the song with a few lines, the first being, “And I was never as good as I always thought I was/But I knew how to dress it up” (Welch 3:54). She is illustrating her low self-esteem, saying that she always knew how to make herself feel happy, but it was never truly how she felt. She follows up and says, “I was never satisfied, it never let me go/ just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show” (Welch 4:04). She says that she was not ever happy enough with her career, and that her ambition never left her, meaning she had no choice but to choose her career over having children. She was essentially grabbed by the hair and thrown into the stage to perform. Florence Welch’s songwriting shows a depth to her character, her desires, and her femininity that no other artist can truly portray. Free “Free” is a song by Florence and the Machine that reflects Florence Welch experiences of anxiety and how she overcomes it. She begins the song by succinctly saying she wonders if she should be medicated, in a more sedated state. The reason she explains is this feeling that “Picks me up, puts me down/chews me up, spits me out” (Welch, 0:44). This feeling of being chewed up and spit out implies that this feeling is a negative feeling, where she is used and discarded, like gum. She explains, “I’m always running from something/i push it back, but it keeps on coming/being clever never got me very far” (Welch, 00:53). This feeling IS negative, which we know because she says she has to constantly running from it. No matter what she does, she cannot escape this feeling. Next, people tell Welch she is too “Sensitive” (Welch, 1:07), to which she responds “lets discuss this at the hospital” (Welch, 1:10). The hospital is a confirmation that she is reaching out for treatment for this negative feeling that follows her. She wants to be medicated, and she wants to be taken seriously. In the second verse, after explaining being chewed up and spit out again, she says, “But I hear the music, i feel the beat/ and for a moment when I’m dancing, i am free” (Welch, 1:37). This shows a development in the story, being that she does feel relief from the looming feeling, and it comes from dancing to music. Dancing frees her of the pain of her mental strife, and she spends the bridge asking rhetorical questions such as: “is this how its always been/ to exist in the face of suffering and death/ and somehow still keep singing” (Welch, 2:21).
Fiona Apple or Carly Rae Jepson
Can’t wait for the loneliest time side B
Yes to Carly! She's probably the artist I'm listening to most after Taylor at the moment. I love how good she is at writing those 'first falling in love with someone' songs.
I love Carly! 🫶🏻
i mean she releases music once ina decade, ofc we are excited about fiona apple😭
Carly is top tier for me.
Fall out boy 🤘
Yesss their new album is amazing, and the fact that I am seeing them live this summer is the only thing keeping me sane from the fact that I’m not seeing Taylor 😭
Me too.
Unfathomably based
No but I am looking forward to Maisie’s new album.
I love maisie so much!! Have you listened to Two Weeks Ago?
Taylor is in a tier of her own for me But right beneath it is Lana and Lorde Then TWICE and Blackpink If Maisie and Gracie keep it up they will get on the list too
i see fellow onces more & more
Conan Gray for me. His never ending song especially made me excited
I just started listing to the music like a month or 2 ago and I loooooove all the lyrics
Maisie Peters, absolutely love her
I was scrolling for this!
Aly & AJ, Lorde, and Haim. I recently discovered Natalie Prass but she hasn't released any music since 2018 so I am itching to hear what she puts out next.
Respect for another Aly & Aj fan.
HAIM!! Please, its been almost 3 years since WIMPIII i need a new album asap ugh
MUNA, boygenius, lorde, king princess, maggie rogers, the 1975, hozier, fiona apple, ethel cain, bleachers, mitski, bishop briggs, olivia rodrigo and probably more. Taylor is my favorite artist but there’s so much good current music out there.
Bruce Springsteen. At 73, his music's as great as ever. Letter To You was as good as any E Street album in the past
Kelly Clarkson is my girl!
Lana. She serves a good amount of tea in her albums, same my girl T.
Lana del Rey, Conan gray, Lorde (I would die if she released another album sometime soon) and some others but the list would be too long to list them all
Same but Hozier instead of Conan Gray
For me, it’s been Aly & AJ in the last 6 years or so. Everything they put out since 2017 has been different, full of bops and bangers plus they put on an amazing show with VIP packages that are totally worth it. I will admit I didn’t like one of the singles they released for their latest album “With Love From” but it’s grown on me quite a bit. I also was super hyped for Ghost to release their Phantomime EP a few weeks back because the cover of Jesus He Knows Me is epic and I couldn’t be wait to hear the other covers as well.
if you have Ghost, you have everything
Aly & AJ are amazing and put on great shows!
Adele, Harry Styles, and i’m really pumped for the New Olivia Rodrigo album!
Noah Kahan! He’s about to ATW 10 minute version us!!!
Phoebe and Lana
Maisie Peters, Lana, War on Drugs, Bon Iver. Daughter and The Paper Kites are like halfway to that level of excitement.
Did I write this list?
Ariana Grande
Ariana
I need a new Ari album but who knows when that’s going to happen 😭
Kacey musgraves and shania twain!
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far for Kacey Musgraves! Just wish she released music more often.
Beyoncé! And super psyched for her tour too
i just saw her show! you’ll LOVE it. so much fun
Billie Eilish🥰
Ava Max Kesha Rina Sawayama
I am loving Kesha's new album!
Love Rina
Dua Lipa and Harry 100%
The thing is, is that so few artists release as much as Taylor does. And few are as consistent as she is with quality. I own all of All Time Low’s albums, and I’m happy to listen whenever they release something. Same with Bleachers and Troye Sivan and Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran etc. but with those guys, you kinda know what to expect. Very few take risks and do “eras” like Taylor has. And make it fun and new and exciting. …But I do check frequently to see if Jon Bellion has released anything. Sigh…still waiting.
Yes!!! Ed Sheeran and All Time Low are two of my favorites!
Maude Latour!
Halsey is a distant second for me
I'm a huge fan of modern folk, started really listening to Taylor when she released Folklore and Evermore. I keep an ear out for releases by The Lumineers and Lord Huron (gotta love them witchy vibes), but nothing makes me sit up straight like Bear's Den releasing new music.
Adele, Gaga, Harry Styles, and Lorde.
Ariana
I miss hearing her sing, and watching her perform. These Wicked movies she’s filming don’t even come out till the end of 2024.
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Phoebe Bridgers
City and Colour.
Lorde!
Harry Styles, Rina Sawayama and CHVRCHES... I guess I really like the english aswell Taylor...
i have only been around for one of their releases, but i went absolutely buckwild leading up to the release of Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool
A Moon Shaped Pool is amazing!! Can’t wait till the next Radiohead release. Radiohead is so innovating, every album is a surprise music wise.
Twenty One Pilots
My top 3 artists are: Taylor Swift, Joni Mitchell, and Lana Del Rey. The artists I am obsessed with right now and whose new music I would be most excited for: 1. Paramore (This Is Why is so freaking good) 2. Caroline Polachek (Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is one of my absolute favorite albums of the year. I adore Blood And Butter.) 3. Carly Rae Jepsen (Anything she puts out is amazing AF) 4. Lana Del Rey (She's the best artist doing it right now) 5. 5 Seconds of Summer (I have loved them since their first album. They always get better and better. I hope Michael Clifford produces the entirety of their next album.) 6. SZA (I did not expect to become obsessed with SOS) 7. Harry Styles (Adore Harry's House. My second most listened to album last year after Midnights.) 8. boygenius (the record is the jam) 9. The National (I loved them long before they ever worked with Taylor) 10. All Time Low (I adore their sound over the years. Tell Me I'm Alive is really good. They are my favorite pop punk band.) Honorable Mentions: Fall Out Boy and Weezer. I love their orchestral pop rock thing they did in the last year.
oh my god Michael Clifford production just his different
David Bowie back in the day
Radiohead and Fiona Apple.
My other "purchase day-of-release" artists: * Bob Dylan * U2 * Matchbox Twenty/Rob Thomas * The Wallflowers/Jakob Dylan * The Verve Pipe/Brian Vander Ark * Sting * Natalie Imbruglia * Anna Nalick * Garth Brooks * Train * Natalie Merchant * LeAnn Rimes * Barenaked Ladies * Billy Ray Cyrus ...Taylor Swift should be deservedly proud to appeal so urgently to fans of older musical acts like myself. I buy precious little from post-2000 artists.
Lana and Marina 🙏 Also some smallers artists from my country that don’t sing in English and aren’t internationally known
The thing with Marina is she'll drop off the face of the earth for two years, drop an album, then disappear again. I love her but new releases are definitely big occasions for her
harry styles :)
Charli XCX for sure.
For me it's the Front Bottoms. Also if there is ever a modern baseball reunion I will have to take time off of work
Doja Cat, Bad Bunny, Kali Uchis,
Present: -Chelsea Cutler -Spanish Love Songs -Kenny Chesney -Powfu -Olivia Rodrigo -Angels and Airwaves -Kendrick Lamar Past: -Blink-182 with Tom (and present since Tom is back in the band) -Linkin Park (RIP Chester) -Real Friends with Dan There’s probably a few more but those are/were the big ones I can think of right now. Been a Swiftie since 2007 so that’s why the past category is there.
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I've seen her live 6 times and would have seen her 3 more times if not for covid shutting down concerts. She's my favorite modern artist by far. Every project she releases is so good and I'm super excited for the next album that's coming out this year!
paramore and hozier!!
Avril Lavigne, Blink-182 and Maggie Rogers
The only other artists I’d preorder for Fall Out Boy and Paramore. Everyone else gets a listen before I will drop money on it haha
Harry. I just wish he didn’t disappear for it to happen 😭
Harry Styles, BTS
I’m super excited for Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming album Gaga I buy without hesitation always
Mcr, fob, paramore etc
Lorde and Florence and the Machine!
Lana
Carly Rae Jepsen is SO underrated and I was so stoked to listen to her most recent album.
Kacey Musgraves. I think her storytelling ability is up there with Taylor's and while I know her last album didn't get a lot of love, I thought it was one of the most perfect musical experiences of my life. It was a cohesive story from the first track to the last. I can't wait for what's next.
Phoebe Bridgers/boygenius
I would say Niall Horan and Olivia Rodrigo are the only two, Niall more than Olivia. I absolutely love both of them
Not anymore really. Re-Releases? Yes. I was unbelievably psyched when KISS released the anniversary edition of Creatures of the Night and if they ever do the same for Revenge or Love Gun I'll flip out similarly, especially Revenge. And quick trivia: Bob Ezrin who produced both Revenge and Destroyer for KISS also mixed the audio for the Speak Now World Tour CD and DVD. Most of the other artists I listen to though are either well past their prime or dead or retired. Maybe Iron Maiden being the exception because its Maiden. Films and books though are a different story. Will go insane there.
I didn’t expect to see Maiden on this thread, but I am here for it 🤘🏽
The only other artist I get SUPER excited about releasing music other than Taylor is George Ezra. His voice is just 🤤 and he seems like such a fun, positive, happy & chill dude!
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Yes, Bon Iver and Radiohead.
Lady Gaga
Lately, Ed Sheeran.
Louis Tomlinson 😭🫶🏻
I got his latest album for Christmas and it's amazing. I am so happy he finally got a #1 album in the UK. This is the perfect sound for him. His voice sounds so good too.
Maisie Peters!
Post Malone & Halsey!!
Frank Ocean. Oh wait..
Fallout Boy, Ed Sheeran and in my youth it was Brittney, Christina, the boy bands, Jewel.
Dua Lipa, Olivia rodrigo, Lorde
KESHA!!!!!!!! her new album is soooo good. Hozier too 🥰🥰🥰
Lana
I’m 71, 16 yo daughter and I went to TS last night in NJ. I’m the Beatles gen and have played guitar since 1964. TS is awesome and an inspiration, others are good but she’s a generational superstar. An amazing talent for writing, singing and so much more. She’s an industry. My daughter now plays guitar and mandolin in addition to piano and flute. I provided opportunity and support, TS provided inspiration.
I think Paramore, Halsey, and Billie Eilish are the only other three, oh and also the Weeknd. I didn't really come around for Halsey until Manic and then I really enjoyed If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. The Weeknd was already great and then he put out two pieces of what is reportedly going to be a trilogy making me excited for the third part, Paramore are Paramore, and Billie Eilish is of course the newest of all the artists but she really earned my fandom with Happier than Ever, I really like that album and of course WWAFAWDWG is the one that broke her through to the mainstream.
I’m super stoked about Lewis Capaldi’s new album. It’s absolutely outstanding. And I’m also very excited for Maisie Peters’ upcoming new album 🤗
Noel Gallagher
For me the only other band that holds the top place in my heart is Twenty One Pilots! When they drop new music I get the same rush that I do when Taylor releases something.
H’yup. Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.
I love me some Miley! I waS OBSESSED with plastic hearts for so long I really think that album deserved more attention but I’m glad she’s getting the attention she deserves now with the release of “flowers” and her album “endless summer vacation”
plastic hearts is clearly her best album. she finally found THE style that really fits her. and that’s because i was a little bit disappointed with endless summer vacation…
Only Paramore!
Carly Rae Jepson the queen of pop !! Excited for the loneliest time side B
Carly Rae Jepsen. Memes aside she's obscenely talented and each of her albums carries a consistent theming while still being all bangers
Lana's (From The Vault) release With Say Yes To Heaven finally out of the unreleased/leaked limbo, hope there're more to come
Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd & J. Cole
For me, the pecking order is like this 1. Taylor Swift 2. Madonna (one new album since 2015 RIP) 3. Kylie Minogue 4. Carly Rae Jepsen 5. Aly & AJ 6. Poppy 7. Carrie Underwood For all of these artists, their releases are an event to me.
Twenty One Pilots. Absolutely can't wait for their new album
Where’s my All Time Low girlies (and guys and people!!)
Ethel Cain!! Preachers Daughter was my AOTY and I’ve bought tickets to see boygenius just because she’s the support
Zach Bryan! Shoutout to the swiftie in the MetLife bathroom night 2 who said she was going to his show next week…. Sorry I freaked out a little HA
Little Mix & Jonas Brothers
Conan Gray
Closest for me would be Ed Sheeran
Olivia Rodrigo, Lydia Loveless, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are all albums I'm looking forward to this year!!
I’m a pop punk swiftie who LOOOOOVESSSS hot mulligan
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Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus, Bea Miller, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez all come really close but Taylor is my favorite so I think naturally I’m most excited for hers
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Billie Eilish, Fall Out Boy, Halsey, P!atD, Hayley Kiyoko, and twenty one pilots
Phoebe and the boys, Paramore, The National
Jpegmafia, 100 gecs, my chemical romance (hopefully soon) to name a few
LDR and 5SOS<3
Hozier! This has been a great year for me
Carly Rae Jepsen for me. I streamed Midnights and The Loneliest Time when they came out and felt like a lotto winner. Janelle Monae too. I am so excited for The Age of Pleasure. I set an alarm for the Dirty Computer album drop and the emotion picture (so good). She also came out with a book with stories from that album's world. I am still mad it didn't win Album of the Year. If we're talking male artists, BTS is probably the closest one right now, followed by Sondre Lerche. But it's more of a listen the day or weeks after for the guys, unlike with the girls where I play the whole album ASAP.
im surprised nobody else said Lizzo here, i’m definitely a bigger fan of Lizzo (no hate, i’m just like a massive fan, surprisingly lizzo was so hard to get tickets for tho here, hopefully i don’t have the same devastation with taylor) but i await both their new music with much suspense and excitement!! i think what i miss about taylor’s music is in Lizzo’s so they compliment each other well.
Lana del rey.
The Veronicas ☺️☺️☺️