Taylor Swift ft Brendon Urie
ME!
Universal
Taylor Swift has returned in collaboration with Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie to release baffling new track ME! Produced by New Zealand’s Joel Little (Lorde), the single immediately falls flat on its face. It’s a childish, under-thought offering that Tay would have been better off keeping to herself. With a marching band beat and boring, painfully immature lyrics like “I’m the only one of me, baby that’s the fun of me,” and “You can’t spell awesome without me”.
It’s a confusing direction for Swift to be taking, considering the heavy production and darker edge of Reputation, the singer’s 2017 release. After such a successful and explorative album, it seemed Swift possessed the ability to evolve without losing her essence. ME! is a children’s song, void of depth and frankly an insulting attempt if the track’s sole aim wasn’t to become a primary school disco staple. The collective talent of Swift, Urie and Little should have been a promising combination, instead, it’s beyond disappointing. It’s laughable and instantly dismissible.
It’s hard to find a redeemable aspect to the song; ME! makes no sense. Perhaps Swift is looking to expand her fan base, aiming to gain the attention of a younger audience before releasing more new music – hopefully, because if we’re not offered a pallet cleanser soon, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking her or Urie’s art seriously again.
ME! is a huge step backwards for Swift. Albums like Reputation and 1989 were explosive, proving Tay’s artistry and immense talent, as well as her smooth ascent into more electronically driven territory. Hopefully it’s just a misstep, a lapse in judgment and a one-off release.
CAITLIN NORRIS
