Cruel Summer

Taylor Swift’s album roll-out usually begins in August when she announces the lead single and the title of her latest album, before releasing it in the fall—and a good marketer she is—a few weeks before Black Friday when Americans spend their money the most. But, on Lover, she seems to break her own rule. She released the lackluster lead single, “ME!”, in April before sharing the title of her seventh album almost two months later, making people suspect that “ME!” is just a one-off project, or a soundtrack to an animated film a la Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, or for some conspirationalist, learning how mediocre the song was (it only peaked at number two in Billboard Hot 100, blocked off by the monstrous “Old Town Road”), Swift pulling an Ariana Grande’s “Focus” and scrapping it from her next album. All the theories are proven wrong when Taylor Swift unveiled her most pastel album cover which will be released in August, thus breaking her usual cycle, but making it eligible for next year’s Grammy.