You all don’t deserve it, but Taylor Swift remains a generous queen. 

Swifties rejoice at the reflective, understated synth masterpiece that is Taylor Swift’s latest offering from her highly anticipated seventh studio album, 

Lover.  On July 23rd, Taylor released the 3:39 track titled 

The Archer, that will be 

Lover‘s fifth track. Fans of the country-turned-pop signer-songwriter have long grown accustomed to Taylor’s habit of leaving her best quips, revelations and tear-jerkers for her albums’ fifth songs, and with 

The Archer fans will not be disappointed. With a kick beat reminiscent of the sound of Taylor’s own heartbeat on 

1989‘s 

Wildest Dreams, and a general 80’s synthetic pop vibe that the blonde-headed singer hasn’t been able to fully shake since 2014’s 

1989, fans are in for a treat and Taylor’s critics who actually listen to the song will likely be silenced. Alluding to her struggle to maintain healthy, long-lasting romantic relationships, and some of her fallout with celebrity friends (see: Katy Perry, even though they’ve now patched things up) Taylor sings that she’s been the archer and she’s been the prey…and who could ever leave her, darling, but who could stay? The Archer is a refreshingly honest peek into the mind of the songstress and a far cry from the sass of

You Need To Calm Down or the self-love anthem that is

ME!, both of which are high in tempo and fairly light in their subject matter. On this track Taylor Swift is both shockingly vulnerable but secure in her sense of self, owning up to a myriad of missteps and her seemingly disastrous tendency to overreact or respond impulsively. Since she calls herself both the archer and the prey, perhaps her critics who readily and regularly accuse her of playing the victim constantly, over-acting and demonising all her enemies will see this as the white flag peace offering it is? Perhaps. Perhaps not.  Regardless, The Archer is already a fan-favourite and has met and exceeded fan expectation of Taylor’s famous track 5s. With haunting, whisper soft lilts over a building drum beat, Swift finishes

The Archer by saying she’s ready for combat. With lyrics that are clearly deeply personal but all at once relatable, Taylor hasn’t lost her mojo. In 3 minutes and 39 seconds Taylor seemingly touches on all the drama with fellow celebs that seems to follow her around and how she’s ready for it; the media’s inability to fully see through her; her desire for fans to see who she really is; personal regrets regarding some fall-outs and how she’s handled them; and perhaps whether or not she will ultimately be able to hold on to the relationships that matter most to her. 

— Charlene Buchanan