Last minute review 
The Lowdown: Gorgeous, sleek, and captivating,
Style is an excellent piece of modern synth-pop.
The story of Taylor Swift's
1989 era has so far been cheeky and lighthearted, with the innocence of
Shake It Off and the fun satire of
Blank Space. For the release of third single
Style, however, she shows that she can deftly craft excellent pop songs even without the sass that we've seen so much from her (this was prevalent in previous eras too- see
22 and
WANEGBT).
Style is a brilliant pop song, with a generic premise yet a distinctive atmosphere.
An electric guitar opens the track before a pulsating but calm synth-pop beat kicks in. Following the trend of
Do What U Want,
Love Me Harder, and
Jealous, it's a fast-paced, light synth-pop beat, but the guitar and Swift's vocals draw it away from the R&B influences that the former three instrumentals flaunt. Swift's vocals are reflective, almost bittersweet as she recalls a past relationship. The lyrics are more abstract than most of her past efforts, and lend the song more intrigue. The prechorus, marked by a piano, is more typical Taylor as she laments that she knows how this relationship will end, but that there isn't a way out until the end. Then we're launched into the rousing chorus. The transition from the verse to the chorus here is seamless, and the chorus itself is fantastic. It's a slick, captivating chorus- not incredibly catchy, but it doesn't have to be. The second verse develops the story more, instead of stating what was already stated in the first verse. The bridge is the climax of the song, and it is perfect. It is simple, it is pure, but the lyric choice is curious (unless it's a reference to 1D's album
Take Me Home in which case it makes perfect sense).
Style spares listeners of an extended outro and concludes with a simple final chorus.
Style accomplishes many of the things I look for in a great pop song. It combines an excellent instrumental with intriguing yet non-verbose lyrics. Also notable is that the song is nearly 4 minutes long (3:52), yet it always feels short when I play it. I think this is the case because it doesn't have any superficial components. I enjoy
Style significantly more than the first two
1989 singles, and have already played it more times than I played the first two singles combined. Indeed, it is a glorious piece of pop music.
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