The young artist, who has sold millions of albums in the U.S. alone, has found a winning formula by combining easy-to-listen country/pop music people can relate to with an adorable, welcoming personality. The new "Shake It Off", however, just does not seem to live up to her past releases. Featuring the trendy brass horns and an upbeat, positive message of empowerment, the pop track sounds forced and the apparent late 80s pop inspiration is nowhere to be found.
In all honesty, Swift seems to just be incorporating the already-done uptempo, spoken word/rap noise that made Ke$ha a huge pop name when she burst onto the scene with "Tik Tok". There's nothing really new here, except for the fact that the artist has now completely shed her country roots for a bubblegum-inspired flavor. "I go on too many dates, but I can't make them stay," Swift sings as she pokes fun of herself on what is set to be the new version of Pharrell's "Happy".
For me, what does save the new release is the accompanying music video, which was directed by the same man who brought Michael and Janet Jackson together for "Scream". Now that is pretty darn impressive. In the visual, Swift is shown acting cute and innocent as she joins in on different interpretations of dance. The video may not look expensive, it may face the same racism accusations that hit Lily Allen earlier this year, but it does look sharp and shows Swift just having a good time, clearly embodying the "haters gonna hate" message of her new single.
"Shake It Off" comes off as an amateurish, throwaway, infectious pop anthem that has everything radio stations want these days. With it's sing-along worthy lyrics, a catchy, horn-driven beat and the Swift name attached, it is safe to say we can expect this mediocre release at the top of the charts for a few weeks.
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