Swifties thought they were done meeting Taylor Swift at midnight when she announced the release date for the re-recording of her 2012 album “Speak Now.” However, on May 24 during her record-smashing “The Eras Tour,” Swift announced that an extended version of the 2022 album “Midnights” would be released on May 26. 

Titled “Midnights (Til Dawn Edition),” the extended album includes the original 13 tracks and 7 bonus tracks known as “3 a.m. Tracks,” along with 3 unreleased songs labeled “Til Dawn Tracks.” 

The three unreleased songs include a remix of “Karma” featuring rapper Ice Spice, “Snow on the Beach (ft. More Lana Del Rey),” and “Hits Different;” the latter track was previously released only on physical vinyl exclusively available at Target. 

I had already heard “Hits Different,” but was elated when its availability on streaming platforms was announced. Behind a bubbly, danceable backing track, Swift sings about experiencing heartbreak like she never has before, saying the emotions “hit different.” The song echoes another one of my personal favorites, “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” about wanting an ex back and struggling to move on. 

“Snow on the Beach” was one of the original Midnights tracks, and was the only song with a featured artist on it. However, fans noted how little they were able to hear Lana Del Rey’s backing vocals and how they wished she was more prominent. 

The “Til Dawn” version of the song has Del Rey taking lead vocals on the second verse, chorus, and outro. Swift and Del Rey’s voices blend together beautifully on the original track, but shining light on Del Rey’s calming voice makes this a track I can’t help but fall more in love with, and it’s definitely my favorite out of the three. 

I didn’t picture “Karma” as a song that needed a rap feature and could have done without it. Ice Spice and Swift’s styles clash in this remix, and I think the feature would have worked better on a different song off Midnights such as “Maroon.” Nevertheless, Ice Spice has distinctive vocals and handles lyrics with ease. Despite only beginning her career in 2021, I can see why Swift described Ice Spice on social media as “the one to watch.”

The announcement of Ice Spice’s feature on the album comes amid Swift’s rumored relationship with “The 1975” frontman Matty Healy. Healy has faced several controversies; recently, for agreeing with derogatory comments about Ice Spice made by the hosts of “The Adam Friedland Show.” 

The excitement doesn’t stop there. Fans who are attending “Eras Tour” shows in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 26, 27, and 28 are the only ones who get access to “You’re Losing Me:” an unreleased “Midnights” track only available via CD, speculated to be about Swift’s recent breakup with Joe Alwyn.