On Sept. 25, Taylor Swift released four new songs as part of a deluxe album titled “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” to mixed reactions from fans. This continuation was Swift’s chance for redemption after an overall negative response from listeners to 2025’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” and while some of the tracks managed to significantly enhance the album, others fell painfully short.

The new addendum to the album opens with an almost folk-inspired energy complete with a heavy violin instrumental in the intro of “Patient Zero.” As the song quickly transitions into the chorus, it becomes clear that Swift is addressing it to the current significant other of her former partner as she sings, “If you want to party with somebody who might know / About the devil on his shoulder under his halo.”

After the resulting hate from “The Life of a Showgirl”’s release, it’s not surprising that critics are calling the song “underwhelming” and “a travesty.” If “Patient Zero” was on any other album, however, the backlash would be a fraction of what it is now. While far from perfect, the track still showcases Swift’s impressive lyricism with lines like, “But he’s bathing in your reflected light / On a free solo social climb.” “Patient Zero” is evocative of classic Swift songs, but because of its association on an album with widely attacked tracks like “Wood” and “Eldest Daughter,” the few juvenile lines of the song are the ones highlighted by critics.

Let’s be clear: Criticism of Swift’s latest music is justified and negative feedback is warranted, but the narrative has unprecedentedly shifted to diminish any song associated with her current era.

On the other hand, for Swifties who have been frustrated with the artist’s recent releases, “Cleveland!” only dug a deeper hole of disappointment. The melody of the song is undeniably catchy, but with sub-par lyrics such as “The taste of me is acquired, but it’s his favorite dish,” even the most devoted fans are left with little defensive ammo.

In “Cleveland!,” Swift seems to double down on the most criticized parts of “The Life of a Showgirl” with more painfully obvious references to her husband Travis Kelce. That being said, she does manage to make a witty allusion to the Kelce brothers this time around. Swift sings, “He already took me to Cleveland / And he showed me The Heights, so hate all you like” in a nod to both the Kelce brothers’ hometown and their hit podcast “New Heights.”

Swift’s point is clear: She no longer cares what people think of her relationship with Kelce. While the sentiment is understandable, the way she portrays her newfound apathy is disheartening to say the least. Her declaring that she has found a partner who “doesn’t find [her] completely insufferable” is a troubling dichotomy to her 2020 song, “tolerate it,” in which she sings, “I know my love should be celebrated / But you tolerate it.” This most recent sentiment seems to claim that, as long as she has found a man who can stand to be around her, she must have found the one. It appears the bar that once seemed so high for Swift’s expectations in love has, disappointingly, fallen.

Compared to the three other tracks, “Pink Clouding” fails to stand out for better or for worse. Swift seems to reuse concepts from her 2022 song, “Maroon.” In that track, the repetition of various shades of colors is inventive and engaging; lyrics like “The burgundy on my t-shirt / When you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks / So scarlet, it was” illustrate the pain of losing a love with vivid descriptions that amplify emotions instead of overshadowing them. In “Pink Clouding,” this technique just comes across as uninspired and unnecessary as she sings “Met the magenta sunrise / Fuchsia forever intertwined,” phrases that distract from the message of the song instead of enhancing it. The use of the phrases “pink clouding” and “gray rocking” seems clever at first glance, but in the context of the song, they fail to connect with the listener in a way that Swift’s past eloquence has. Given its mediocrity, “Pink Clouding” fails to hold its own against the other tracks in the extended project.

“Babylon” is both the closing track and the pinnacle of the album. With lyrics emulating Swift’s older and more beloved songs, it could be a loose continuation of the 2008 hit “White Horse” almost two decades later. “Babylon” is a love letter to big city dwellers with roots in small towns, perfectly encapsulating the mix of nostalgic longing and guilt-ridden relief that comes with moving away from home. It also comes with a solemn warning: Constantly chasing bigger dreams can ruin one’s life when not done carefully.

Swift’s simple yet powerful transition from the lyrics “Then that melody is all you want” to the more heartbreaking “Then that memory is all you want” later in the song brings fans right back to the relatable and intelligent prose that they first fell in love with. After a recent pattern of songs that are either trying too hard or not at all, “Babylon” manages to strike the perfect balance.

Two things can be true at once: “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” is being excessively criticized because of the era that the songs are situated in, but it also does not live up to Swift’s other albums. The four new tracks do not seem cohesive; it seems like Swift is experimenting with different styles, with varying levels of success. The consensus is that the tracks on the album that explicitly mention her husband are the least imaginative of the mix, with watered-down language and reused beats failing to impress listeners. Ultimately, this album may not be Swift at her best, but behind the curtain of creative stagnation, there are still glimpses of the showgirl the world once fell in love with.

—Staff writer Audrey A. Chalfie can be reached at [email protected].