Just before midnight, Taylor Swift dropped her new single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” and the internet promptly exploded.
A lyric video accompanied the song (the real video will debut on “Good Morning America” on Friday), which is a stylistic shift from the frothy hand claps of “Shake It Off” and staccato melody of “Blank Space.”
On her first new material since her Grammy-winning 2014 album, “1989,” Swift and co-producer Joseph Khan have unveiled Vendetta Taylor.
“But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time…I got a list of names and yours is in red underlined,” she sneers.
While envisioning Swift, 27, as an Atomic Blonde requires some suspension of disbelief, at least give her credit for detouring down another musical path.
“Look What You Made Me Do” veers from haunting electro-pop to a slithering high-hat ingrained in the mechanical chorus and never quite feels authentic. But when she remarks, “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh. ‘Cause she’s dead,” in a flippant tone accompanied by a Mean Girl giggle, you’ll at least be amused by the persona Swift has crafted.
Swift's upcoming "Reputation" album, due out Nov. 10, can be pre-ordered on iTunes. Her www.taylorswift.com website also contains a link for fans to register with Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program, which means tour dates are imminent.
Regardless of your feelings about Swift, she always succeeds at one thing – creating conversation.
