This week we look into a phenomenon known in the music industry as the sophomore slump, which usually occurs when an artist's second album underperforms or underwhelms in comparison to their debut project. We explore how the term came about, look into the reasons behind why the sophomore slump may occur and then discuss some examples of albums that seem to have either suffered or avoided the slump altogether. These include artists such as Billie Eilish (Happier Than Ever), Harry Styles (Fine Line), Olivia Rodrigo (Guts), Haim (Something to Tell You), Nicki Minaj (Pink Friday Roman Reloaded), Jessie J (Alive) and many more. Finally, as a Taylor Swift podcast primarily, we of course talk about the case of Fearless.

This week we celebrate the two year anniversary of Swiftly Spoken Podcast by going over some of our favourite moments, memories, and episodes. We also thank you for some of our achievements along the way and reflect on everything that has changed in the Taylor Swift fandom over the last couple of years. We then move on to classifying every single Taylor Swift album as seasons, be it Lover as a summer celebration, reputation as a cold winter, or Fearless as the new found hope of spring. We go through our reasonings for each choice and chat about the overall aesthetic and vibes of each album, their release date(s), and how our feelings towards them may have changed over time.

Now Taylor Swift has wrapped up the first leg of The Eras Tour, we take a look back at every detail of the first North American dates. To recap these last six months of shows we go over the set changes, new outfits, guests and surprises Taylor has announced along the way. We also take the opportunity to discuss not just the upcoming LATAM dates, but the 2024 International legs of The Eras Tour. Considering some of the patterns we’ve seen we talk about what certain set changes could come about in the future as well as how the tour might evolve as it goes on. Throughout the episode we are lucky enough to be able to play or read out quotes our listeners and favourite fellow Taylor Swift creators sent in talking about their experiences at key dates (like Haim's first appearance or the 1989 Taylor’s Version announcement!), and giving helpful advice to those who may be attending future shows! We would like to extend our gratitude once again to everyone who took the time to be involved in this episode.

In this episode we break down the most prominent Easter Eggs and details present in the only current music video from the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) era, the star-studded I Can See You. Directed by Taylor Swift and featuring Presley Cash, Joey King and Taylor Lautner, all major players in the original Speak Now era, it follows the group as they break Taylor out of the vault, metaphorically allowing her to reclaim her music. Not only is the video full of fun references it also points us directly to what’s next in terms of the Taylor’s Version rerecording project. Throughout the episode we discuss the ramifications of this music video and who it features in relation to 1989 (Taylor’s Version), including our hopes and dreams for promotion, collabs, and possible timeline of events. We also speak about other current events such as The Eras Tour, a possible Cruel Summer music video, and August!

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) finally arrives this week! To celebrate we are concluding our Speak Now stories series by exploring the final few songs written for the album. In this episode we go over the nostalgia of Back to December and comment on the recent snippet released; talk about the incredible Dear John performance and Taylor’s “warning”; talk about Mine which was the original lead single of Speak Now; explore the rumours behind the title track; reminisce over the emotional message behind Long Live; and round the album off by breaking down the very real story behind The Story of Us. We conclude by talking about this Friday’s release! We cannot wait to hear the Vault Tracks and react to Taylor’s Version of this fan favourite album!

With under a month to go and the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) Vault Tracks having been revealed, we continue our exploration into how Taylor wrote Speak Now by discussing the backstory, inspiration and details surrounding another five songs from the album. This batch includes two songs written about key events that occurred at award shows, the infamous Kanye West VMA incident which spawned Innocent, and the Grammy performance with Stevie Nicks that initiated a domino effect leading to the song Mean. We also go over both of the deluxe songs, Superman and Ours, which are inherently linked to Dear John. Finally, we discuss the only song from Speak Now that made it to the Eras Tour, Enchanted! It has yet another vivid backstory which includes an Owl City cover and a confession of love through music. To round the episode off we talk about the premature reveal of the Vault Track titles and features.

Sorry for the first 15 mins of bad audio quality, once we realised the microphone wasn't plugged in everything goes back to normal!

This week we’re taking a brief pause from our Speak Now Taylor’s Version content to react and break down the two new editions of Midnights! From the differences between the Til Dawn Edition and the Late Night Edition to their new designs, availability and which tracks they include. We talk about our preferences regarding the More Lana version of Snow on the Beach as well as the Karma remix featuring the up-and-coming Ice Spice. We also speak about the song coming to life in the colourful Karma music video and the fun recent performances. We then discuss the possible explanations as for the missing songs from the albums and finally reach the devastating new From the Vault track, You’re Losing Me. Join us as we break down as much as we can from these last few surprise Taylor Swift releases and let us know your thoughts about these two exclusive versions of Midnights.

* After this last weekend it looks like the physical editions of the Late Night version will be available at upcoming tour stops!