On Oct. 27, 2014, Taylor Swift introduced her pop album “1989” with tracks such as “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off” that reached the Billboard Hot No. 1 within a week of the album’s release. This October, Swift re-released “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, a re-recording. As an avid listener and, as some might say, a “Swiftie” I thought I would have enjoyed it more than I did. 

Don’t get me wrong, I was pleasantly surprised with the heartfelt delivery of track 12, “I Know Places,” as well as the nostalgic nature of “Welcome to New York.”

However, most of the re-recordings and “from the vault” tracks lack the true feeling of the 1989 era, as well as Swift’s typical pop music as a whole. From basing so much of her career on the “eras” of her life, I expected the more electric pop that we have seen in the past. One example being “Style” that lacked the old guitar riffs and felt more toned down than the original. 

“Suburban Legends” and “Slut!” were the least reminiscent of the 1989 era, sounding astoundingly similar to that of her songs on her recent synth-pop album, “Midnights.” 

Although her new songs are good, they aren’t 1989 Taylor. “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” lacks the raw emotion and riffs that the original brought to her discography, and I’m not so sure I can shake that off.