Taylor Swift’s most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, dropped at midnight on October 3. Swift’s 12th album comes in at the second shortest, behind her self-titled debut, at 41 minutes long. Excitement began to build as soon as Swift announced the album in August on her now fiancé’s, Travis Kelce, podcast. Fans were on the edge of their seats for new music after an almost year-and-a-half drought of fresh music from Swift.  Swift took a different approach with The Life of a Showgirl, twisting pop with a softer, retro sound, contrasting with her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department. Hype was sky high by midnight of October 3rd as the album was released, but many fans quickly became disappointed.

“Honestly, I think that it was kind of underwhelming,” junior Sara Beth Snider said.

The Life of a Showgirl has certainly brought in mixed reviews from all listeners. Some argue the effort was not there, but others think that her personal relationship with Travis Kelce impacted the album’s lyrics and creativity, not always for the better.

“The things in your life influence what you create,” senior Emma Frances Cromartie said.

Putting lyrics and quality aside, some listeners solely dislike the album because it is not their favorite genre or style. Alternatives to Swift’s music include country and R&B genres like Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars.

“It’s just not my type of music. I listened to a couple of her songs, but it’s not really my genre,” sophomore Sterling Pollard said.

On the other hand, some Swifties have become completely enamored with The Life of a Showgirl, disregarding all negative comments swirling around.

“I think it’s fun to go back to like a more lover vibe,” Sam Clark said. “I think people are hating on the lyrics. I think the production’s been great. I think it’s fun. I’ve been loving some of the songs.”

Another unique way Swift keeps her fans engaged is through the game of easter eggs; clever, hidden hints about upcoming music or events. Swift has been releasing easter eggs since she was fifteen, appearing in the form of scrambled lyrics, colors with unrevealed meanings, and even her favorite number, 13. Her latest album contained numerous.

“I was seeing easter eggs all over the place. The coloring was an easter egg, apparently the shape, now I can’t believe this one, the shape of the stage is the track list, which is crazy. There is a lot of false easter eggs, you never know,” Clark said.