Taylor Swift has always been known for the relationship sagas she frequently details in her hit songs. “1989” is  a refreshing departure from her previous work.

Swift has always been easier to define based on what she is not rather than who she is. She is not a pop artist—at least not in pop’s current incarnation. These songs are either harkening back to the ‘80s or looking toward the future. The result is a timelessness that counteracts the trends of pop today. 

Though the subject matter of her songs may still revolve around romance, Swift’s approach is more confident. She’s recognized that most relationships do not come to a fairytale end. With that, Swift has turned from mourning her “long list of ex-lovers” to celebrating them.

On “Blank Space,” the sharp drum intro sets off the new pop feel from the get go. Swift has stolen a leaf from Ed Sheeran’s playbook by using rhythm rather than melody to propel the phrases. The five note verse and the gravelly spoken transition work here because of the syncopation of the line against the backbeat. It’s a new trick that she uses too frequently on the album, but the contrast to her previous work is welcome.

“Blank Space” is particularly satisfying because of the chorus. Swift describes that she’s “got a long list of ex-lovers / they’ll tell you I’m insane / but I’ve got a blank space baby…” and then you hear the pen click as she readies herself to write down your name.

New sound effects and rhythmic techniques are not the only tricks Swift pulls out on this album. She uses an over-processed falsetto on the chorus of “All You Had to Do Was Stay,” a powerfully bass-heavy chorus on “I Wish You Would” that includes electronic sounds reminiscent of Blondie, and a drum-only backing on the first shouting chorus of “Bad Blood.” This album is in-your-face different from her previous albums and it’s strangely believable. The range shown is impressive in its vastness and in Swift’s willingness to take chances.

The most surprising song on the album plays a card that Swift has never played before: sexy. “Wildest Dreams” contrasts an alto verse with a mezzo chorus. The effect gives the verses a sultry tone that turns into a lustful transition. Swift’s lyrics on this track match this new tone, as she chants “but this is gonna take me down / he’s so tall and handsome as hell / he’s so bad but he does it so well.” On the chorus, Swift’s sighs on the titular phrase about hoping her lover will see her again in his wildest dreams.

“Clean” is perhaps the best track, with the Blondie and Madonna influence evident in the background. The melody is sweet against lyrics about getting over an “addiction” to love. Though she speaks in terms of one man, “Clean” feels more like the culmination of Swift’s love torn and oft-followed string of relationships. There’s a real purity to the emotion put into this track. It rings true in a way that other tracks on the album do not.

“1989” is unexpectedly good on the whole. Of course, there are still some tracks worth skipping. It is not perfect. But Swift’s two year cycle of reinvention has finally led to an album that shows something new: confidence, growth and maturity from an artist so often defined by her youthful approach to life.