As an unabashed Swiftie, I was ready to take any new music from Taylor Swift and immediately love it. But I was a bit surprised that I found myself not enjoying the first single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. off her upcoming new album, Red. On first impression and a few more listens, I actually found it to be grating and way too pop for my taste. On its surface, it was a complete departure from what Swift had been doing prior. It was veering too close to the edge and crossing into Demi Lovato territory in its bubblegum pop and dance-y sound that completely felt like it was shunning any Country and Folk underlying roots Swift injected into her songwriting. This was bothersome as it created questions on what direction the new album will take.

But my feelings changed just a bit when the premiere of the video for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” came and went last week. The video fits the peppiness and mood of the song down to a T. Or rather, the video adds a bounce to the song that made me appreciate it more. Although I’d love to know what the woodland creatures that Swift’s band are dressed up as have anything to do with anything, it’s still a fun video to watch. According to Swift, the video was shot in just one take with all the costume changes done on the fly. Pretty neat.