Despite her previous declaration, old Taylor can come to the phone right now. Taylor Swift debuted her seventh studio album “Lover” on Aug. 23. The album incites nostalgia for long-term Swifties, frequently being compared to her previous albums “1989” and “Speak Now.”

Swift’s album brings back a sense of whimsy and romance that was missing in her previous album “Reputation.” While other albums aged with Swift, “Lover” is more of a timeless classic. Whether you’re in kindergarten making your first friend like in “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” fighting high school mean girls like “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” or celebrating a wedding anniversary and dancing around your living room to the album’s title track “Lover,” the album caters to every age.

While the album as a whole is very strong, the singles previously released seem out of place and not a good representation of the album — almost like an afterthought. “ME!” and “The Archer” fall flat and feel repetitive next to innovative songs like “Cruel Summer,” which fights to break the box of bubblegum pop Swift was painted into.

Swift ends the album with the song “Daylight,” which contains a final monologue to reflect the voice of the album: “I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate, not the things I’m afraid of, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night. I just think that you are what you love.”
Overall, the album takes the listener on a journey of self-discovery and love. “Lover” feels like it was made completely and totally for Swift herself. Not a stand against celebrities vilifying her, not a plea to an ex-boyfriend nor a collection of songs created to please the music industry — just an album for her and her fans.