"State of Grace" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red. To promote the album before its release, Big Machine Records released the song for download on October 16, 2012. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "State of Grace" is an arena rock song that uses chiming, feedback-drenched guitars and pounding drums. An acoustic version features as a deluxe-edition bonus track. The lyrics are about the tumultuous feelings evoked by the first signs of love.
Rina is the debut extended play by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. Also described as a mini album, Rina was independently released on 27 October 2017. Sawayama funded the album herself, working for "2-3 jobs at a time for years" to save enough to release the EP. Sawayama promoted the album through the Ordinary Superstar Tour in 2018.
"The Archer" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). She wrote and produced the track with Jack Antonoff, and Republic Records released it as a promotional single on July 23, 2019. The song has a 1980s-influenced minimalist, midtempo production and is a synth-pop ballad incorporating dense, echoing synthesizers and insistent kick drums. Music critics also identified elements of synthwave and dream pop. The lyrics are about Swift's acknowledgement of her past mistakes and contemplation of her identity.
"Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the title track of her seventh studio album (2019). Swift conceived it as a timeless love song that could be played at a wedding reception; the lyrics are about an intimate and committed relationship, and the bridge draws on the bridal rhyme "Something old". Produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, "Lover" combines country and indie folk over a waltz tempo. It has an acoustic-guitar-driven balladic production consisting of snare drums, piano, pizzicato strings, and dense reverb. Republic Records released "Lover" for download and streaming on August 16, 2019, and to US radio the next month.
Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, known professionally as Beabadoobee, is a Filipino-English singer and songwriter. From 2018 to 2021, she released five extended plays under the independent label Dirty Hit: Lice (2018), Patched Up (2018), Loveworm (2019), Space Cadet (2019) and Our Extended Play (2021). Her debut studio album, Fake It Flowers, was released in October 2020 and received critical acclaim. Her second studio album, Beatopia, was released on July 15, 2022.
Pony is the third studio album and major-label debut by the English musician Rex Orange County. It was released on 25 October 2019, through RCA Records. The album was entirely recorded at Strongroom Studios in East London, with an orchestral recording at Air Studios, and solely written by Rex Orange County, who produced all the songs with Ben Baptie.
"Mirrorball" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song as a tribute to her fans, after she cancelled a planned concert tour to support her seventh studio album Lover (2019) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Produced by Swift and co-writer Jack Antonoff, "Mirrorball" is a dream pop, jangle pop, and indie folk song with flavors of country music, accompanied by reverbed, gentle guitars, vocal harmonies, and live drums. Lyrically, the narrator likens herself to a fragile disco ball and sings about doing anything to keep her audience entertained.
The Ascension is the eighth studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on September 25, 2020. The record was influenced by a range of artists, particularly Ariana Grande and her 2018 song "Thank U, Next".
"The Last Great American Dynasty" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). The life of the American socialite Rebekah Harkness, who once lived in Swift's Rhode Island mansion, inspired her to write the song.
"The 1" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the opening track from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A folk and soft rock tune with elements of indie folk, "The 1" sets Swift's conversational vocals over a production consisting of piano and percussion. In its lyrics, the narrator fondly introspects a failed romance and details the time when she found "the one" who never came to be. Republic Records released the song for download in Germany on October 9, 2020.
"Message in a Bottle" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was her first writing collaboration with Max Martin and Shellback. The song was intended for but excluded from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Shellback and Elvira Anderfjärd produced the track for Swift's re-recorded album, Red (2021). "Message in a Bottle" is a 1980s-influenced dance-pop and electropop song with lyrics about the anxiety from falling in love.
Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, known mononymously as Laufey, is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and record producer. She achieved prominence in the early 2020s for her success as a jazz-inspired pop artist, with critics noting that her jazz-inflected songs have received considerable success for a genre that has largely declined commercially.
Hold the Girl is the second studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. The album was preceded by the singles, "This Hell", "Catch Me in the Air", "Hold the Girl", "Phantom" and "Hurricanes". "Frankenstein" was also released, as the final single from the album. The album, recorded between 2020 and 2021, features production from collaborators including Paul Epworth, Clarence Clarity, Stuart Price, and Marcus Andersson. Clarity also produced much of Sawayama's debut album Sawayama (2020).
Holy Fvck is the eighth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on August 19, 2022, through Island Records. Primarily a pop-punk and hard rock record, Lovato conceived it as a return to the early rock-influenced roots from her first two studio albums, Don't Forget (2008) and Here We Go Again (2009), while also containing glam rock and heavy metal elements. Its lyrical themes explore religious undertones.
Midnights is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 21, 2022, by Republic Records. Swift conceived it as a concept album about nocturnal ruminations inspired by her sleepless nights. The autobiographical songwriting explores broad emotions such as regrets, self-criticism, fantasies, heartbreak, and infatuation, using confessional yet cryptic lyrics that allude to her personal life and public image.
"Mastermind" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022). She was inspired to write it after watching the 2017 film Phantom Thread. Produced with co-writer Jack Antonoff, "Mastermind" is an electropop song featuring synth arpeggiators, layered vocal harmonies, and an expansive bass. Its lyrics are about a narrator confessing to a lover that they were the one who initiated and planned their romantic relationship.
"Vigilante Shit" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her tenth studio album Midnights (2022). Produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, the track is a dark pop tune with elements of industrial and hip hop. Its minimalistic production is driven by trap beats composed of pulsing snare drums and light bass and electronic tones. The lyrics are about a noirish vengeance declaration, taking aim at an enemy and encouraging other women to do the same.
Javelin is the tenth studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It was released on October 6, 2023, through Asthmatic Kitty. It received widespread critical acclaim on release.
Everything I Know About Love is the debut studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, released on 26 August 2022 through AWAL.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, released on September 22, 2023, through Amusement Records, an imprint of Island Records owned by the album's producer, Dan Nigro. Roan wrote the album alongside Nigro beginning in 2020. The album received positive reviews from critics, who acclaimed its pop sound.
