Taylor Swift is making it harder and harder to like her.

She’s a talented songwriter, no doubt, but it’s hard to argue that she’s using those talents wisely these days. Her last album was the uneven Red, which spawned a few clever, pop-infused hits but also caught her spinning her wheels.

Last week, Swift announced the upcoming release of her next album, 1989 (named after her birth year). And based on the first single, it’s a step in the wrong direction.

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