Shortly after the release of Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” album, she released a surprise “Midnights (3 a.m. Edition),” which included seven new tracks. Here is a look into how these tracks added a more nuanced insight to the already emotional album.

Track 14: “The Great War”

“The Great War” is a song that defines what it means for love to prevail. With the combination of battle-like imagery, a heavy emphasis on synth-pop and a killer drum beat, Swift makes this 3 a.m. track an unforgettable one. The tension that’s felt throughout the lyrics ultimately comes to a hopeful ending as the two lovers make it through their conflict.

Track 15: “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”

“Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is one of the most beautiful and chillingly sad songs Swift has ever written. It does not appear to be about a lover, or really anyone specifically, but rather is centered on a deep and debilitating grief. “I’m never gonna meet / What could’ve been, would’ve been / What should’ve been you,” Swift mourns, although whether that “who” is a friend, a family member or a partner is never specified. The production is sparse but gorgeous, and Swift’s vocals are haunting and soft.

Track 16: “Paris”

This upbeat and happy song about being in love and disconnected from everything but these emotions was an incredible addition to the 3 a.m. tracks. Swift perfectly captures the feeling of new love and the need to hold onto this feeling. She states, “I’m so in love that I might stop breathing,” showing the intensity of love and the fear of losing the special sensation. The light and dreamy track is the perfect base for the simple but magical lyrics.

Track 17: “High Infidelity”

There was a time when Swift believed cheating was the ultimate sin for any partner to commit — unforgivable and unjustifiable. But newer songs have illustrated a shift in that mindset in favor of a more nuanced perspective, and none more so than “High Infidelity.” The track sees Swift feeling trapped in a relationship, resulting in her seeking relief in another man until finally she’s caught in her lie — “I bent the truth too far tonight,” she admits. All but confessing to her unfaithfulness, Swift asks, “Do you really want to know where I was April 29th? / Do I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?” While she sounds sorry for hurting her partner, she does not seem to regret her choice. Unlike some of the other “Midnights” tracks which cover familiar territory, “High Infidelity” describes a fallout Swift has never written about before, perhaps because she has taken such a strong moral stance on cheating in past songs. Production-wise and melodically, the song sounds similar to “Renegade,” a track by Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon’s band, Big Red Machine, which Swift collaborated on. Given that Dessner produced both songs, the sonic similarities make sense, and “High Infidelity,” like many of the 3 a.m. tracks, feels like a return to the lyricism and sound of her Dessner collaborations, particularly “evermore.”

Track 18: “Glitch”

“Glitch” is one of the most experimental tracks on the record. The same producers that worked with Swift on “Lavender Haze” and “Karma” are credited on this track, and, here again, they have unlocked a new but intriguing pop sound that one would never have thought would suit Swift so well. With garbled background vocals, electric sounds and a groovy bass, “Glitch” is about a casual relationship unexpectedly morphing into something much more serious — a turn of events so unpredictable that Swift admits “I think there’s been a glitch.” Swift’s sultry falsetto delivery perfectly complements the more mature, provocative subject matter she is still singing about. “Glitch” is a delightfully weird and sexy song that could have easily fit right in on the standard edition of “Midnights.”

Track 19: “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”

Arguably the most gut-wrenching and raw track, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” explores falling in love with someone who ultimately takes advantage of your naivety while destroying you from the inside out. Swift reflects on her relationship when she was 19 and her partner was 32, a relationship that emotionally damaged her so much that she’s only sung about it once before on Speak Now’s “Dear John.” While the former song was written in the recent aftermath of her breakup, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is sung from the perspective of an older Swift who is desperately trying to heal, but is still hurt and grieving over the ways she now realizes she was taken advantage of by an older man. She admits how she deeply regrets pursuing the relationship as long as she did, lamenting, “I regret you all the time.” The references to death such as, “And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts / Memories feel like weapons,” and “the tomb won’t close” illustrates the trauma that’s never left Swift despite the amount of time passed. The song is filled with some of the best lyrics Swift has ever penned, but the true emotional gut punch is delivered in the bridge when Swift belts “Give me back my girlhood / It was mine first.” Her voice is filled with so much emotion it’s difficult to hear. The anger and pain are that visceral. It’s one of the best songs she’s ever written.

Track 20: “Dear Reader”

“Dear Reader,” the closing track to Swift’s 3 a.m. edition of “Midnights,” starts off with a slow melody on the piano, which echoes throughout the song as elements of synth-pop become the foreground of the track. The repeated lyric “never take advice from someone who’s falling apart,” emphasizes the weariness Swift feels when it comes to people taking advice from her music, as she herself doesn’t necessarily know what she is doing. The overarching concept within this song of questioning your identity while feeling isolated speaks to the rest of “Midnights” — an album with prevailing themes of pain and insecurity.

Overall, the addition of the 3 a.m. tracks gives the album a heightened sense of vulnerability and balance. Dessner’s contributions are refreshing amid an album produced entirely by Jack Antonoff, whose production can sometimes be a bit heavy-handed. Dessner brings back the penmanship and sound of “folklore” and “evermore.” “Midnights” standard edition is a great pop album with some career highlights, but the addition of the 3 a.m. tracks, which include one of the best songs of her entire career, makes it an even better one.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars