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Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is finally here, and it’s already breaking every record in sight. But does it actually live up to the hype?

In this week’s episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by a friend of the pod and resident Swiftie, Seth (@dramakingbooks), to unpack Taylor’s twelfth studio album in full. Together, they break down how Showgirl stacks up against past eras, if the reunion with Max Martin and Shellback delivers, and why fans are so divided over the album.

We cover everything:

• Track-by-track reactions and one-word reviews
• Whether the “Showgirl” concept was successful
• Taylor’s record-shattering first-week sales and beating Adele's decade-long record
• The most controversial lyrics and production choices
• Why “Eldest Daughter” might be her weakest Track 5 yet
• Best, Worst, and Fav songs from The Life of a Showgirl

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

04:00 - First impressions and expectations

09:30 - Marketing vs. album reality

17:00 - Track-by-track: “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Opalite,” “Father Figure,” “Eldest Daughter,” and more

55:00 - Final rankings and where Taylor goes next

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I’m now live on Substack! Every week, I’m sharing two pop music newsletters, exclusive album reactions and written reviews, early access to all YouTube reactions, and so much more. Check it out at https://vinylbymars.substack.com/.

Taylor Swift’s twelfth album The Life of a Showgirl is days away. In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by Swiftie creator Steven Sullivan to map out Taylor’s road to this era, what the Max Martin and Shellback reunion could mean, and why this release feels pivotal after The Tortured Poets Department.

We cover everything:

• Why Showgirl feels like a true reset after the Eras Tour and TTPD

• What to expect from the Max Martin and Shellback partnership

• Our hopes, fears, and bold predictions for the album

• Vinyl variants, rollout choices, and how fans are reacting

• First-week sales projections and awards outlook

• What success looks like for the lead single and the album overall

If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

Chapters:

00:00 — Intro + why this era feels pivotal

02:41 — Meet the guest: Steven Sullivan

05:40 — Post-Eras context and how TTPD shaped expectations

11:30 — Max Martin & Shellback: what the reunion signals

18:30 — Rollout talk: variants, promo, and strategy

34:20 — Fanbase sentiment and expectations

35:50 — Hopes, fears, bold predictions

43:50 — First-week sales projections

46:20 — Final thoughts + what comes next

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylbymars

Instagram: http://instagram.com/vinylbymars

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@vinylbymars

LFM: https://linktr.ee/livefrommarspod

Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com/

To provide feedback, please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/livefrommars-survey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm now live on Substack! Every week, I'm sharing two pop music newsletters, exclusive album reactions and written reviews, early access to all YouTube reactions, and so much more. Check it out at https://vinylbymars.substack.com/.

Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh album Man’s Best Friend is here — just one year after Short n’ Sweet. In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by Sabrina superfan and resident expert Nick Palmai to break down the album track-by-track.

We cover everything:

• How Man’s Best Friend compares to Short n’ Sweet

• Our first reactions and favorite tracks (“Tears,” “House Tour,” “When Did You Get Hot?”)

• The hits, misses, and standout lyrics

• Whether this album came too soon after Sabrina’s breakout era

• Predictions for first-week numbers, surprise singles, and what comes next

If you’re a Sabrina Carpenter fan, you don’t want to miss this deep dive.

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylbymars

Instagram: http://instagram.com/vinylbymars

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@vinylbymars

LFM: https://linktr.ee/livefrommarspod

Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com/

To provide feedback, please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/livefrommars-survey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.