Taylor Swift, “Midnights.”

A Taylor Swift release is always an event, but no album has reached quite the level of anticipation as the 32-year-old singer’s 10th, Midnights. Without a single and few online teases, little was known about its direction beyond the premise that the songs began as the singer’s midnight musings. The secrecy led to months of speculation from fans eager for any morsel of information that could provide a clue to the album.

With the clock counting down to midnight, Midnights leaked. So how does it stack up?

Well, it’s clearly not the third part of of a trilogy to Folklore to evermore. Midnights is more of a natural progression. The dark storytelling remains, but much of the folky backdrop has been replaced by distorted synths.

“Meet me at midnight,” Swift sings on the opening notes of “Lavender Haze,” inspired by the speculation about the singer’s relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn. “I find it dizzying/ They’re bringing up my history/ But you weren’t even listening.”

The harmonies are slick and tight, the lyrics smart, and after a pair of introspective albums, its refreshing to hear Swift lean back into poppy songwriting.

Swift again collaborated with Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff on the record, which helps foster consistency in sound.

“Maroon” is dark and sparse, its foundation around a brooding synth and light percussion evoking a callback to “Blank Space.” Swift’s vocals paint the portrait, with a layered vocal carrying the weight of the track.

On the mid-tempo “Anti-Hero,” she turns the spotlight at her own self-doubt. “I should not be left to my own devices/ They come with prices and vices/ I end up in crisis,” she sings.

Lana Del Rey makes an appearance on ethereal mid-tempo ballad “Snow on the Beach,” which feels like winter with synths, jingles and light orchestration. Quite frankly, when it was announced earlier this month that Del Rey was a collaborator on this album, most fans likely pictured something just like this song.

“You’re On Your Own, Kid” begins with a soft-pulsing percussive beat that slowly blossoms into an alt-pop soundscape. Lyrically and vocally, it sounds like something from Red, but with a darker sheen. “Midnight Rain” sticks to the theme of lyrical timing references. Taylor Swift delivers a wordy verse that leads into a heavy melodic chorus, again sticking with a less-is-more arrangement.

“Did you leave the house in the middle of the night?/ Did you wish you’d put up more of a fight?/ When she said it was too much, do you wish you could still touch her?” Swift asks on the appropriately titled “Question…?”

One of album’s best moments come on “Vigilante Shit,” a bassy revenge anthem with punch that sounds like something by Billie Eilish.

“Don’t get sad, get even,” Swift declares.

“Vigilante Shit” transitions to “Bejeweled,” an ode to independence. The ’80s pop sensibility of “Karma” explodes out of the gate with an upbeat synth-heavy sound. This song seems to reference Swift’s resiliency through the personal travails throughout her career. The delicate “Sweet Nothing” puts Swift’s vocals and wordy verses at the forefront with a simple keyboard melody in the backdrop.

The album closes out with “Mastermind,” which opens on a synth before expanding into a subdued electro-pop anthem. Midnights feels like a bridge bringing Taylor Swift back to pop. Her sharp lyrical sensibilities remain as strong as ever, however.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.