Taylor Swift’s new album, “Midnights,” is marked to release at 12 a.m. on Oct. 21. The album will feature thirteen tracks, but Swift has yet to reveal the titles. She first announced her upcoming album through various social media platforms on Aug. 29. 

“Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight,” Swift said in an Instagram post.  

Fans were already well aware that Swift had been re-recording her previous albums in order to obtain the rights to the new versions in spite of her old record label, Big Machine Records. Many fans had been speculating about which album would be next, yet the singer still shocked the media by announcing “Midnights.” People were unaware of Swift writing any new songs, let alone a whole album.  

“I was both excited and shocked to find out Taylor Swift is coming out with a new album. I am curious to see what her next theme is going to be because she has changed her genre of music a lot through each album, and everyone has been waiting to see what direction she will go in next. I think most of us were expecting a more folklore type album, but a new era might also mean a new tour,” Melea Menshon, junior, said. 

Her latest albums before the re-recordings, “Evermore” and “Folklore,” were also surprises, as she was inspired to write them during quarantine and had not planned them before. There is a fan theory that, because these two were unplanned, “Midnights” is a sister album to Swift’s last released album before COVID-19, “Lover.” While “Lover” has lived up to its namesake — being full of songs detailing adoration and attachment — many speculate that the tracks on “Midnights” may go in the opposite direction.  

“I think some of the songs on ‘Midnight’ will be about love but maybe about someone who Taylor fell in love and out of love with quickly. Maybe someone she would only see every once in a while, during the night. I think songs will be relatable to most girls who have experienced that kind of fleeting love affair,” Sophie Pelfrey, sophomore, said. 

Swift is most famous in the music industry for the shock-factor behind her releases.  Be on the lookout for any more surprises from the singer before this album release.