So which of the 60,000 variants of Taylor Swift's new album is your favourite? The pop star, who recently announced that she's marrying her gym teacher or something, also recently announced a new album, The Life of a Showgirl. Then announced it again. And again. Right now there are nine alternative covers, which, unless you're the kind of super fan who wants to own them all, seems faintly ridiculous to me.
Alternate album art is nothing new. Artists have been releasing 'Deluxe' versions of their albums since time began. But the sheer volume of variants we're seeing right now feels not only calculated to maximise sales (imagine that), but it's also diluting the aesthetic identity of individual album eras. Whereas the best album art of all time is immediately recognisable, I couldn't tell you what the cover for Life of a Showgirl actually looks like. Same goes for Sabrina Carpenter's new album – just days after the provocative original variant prompted outcry, came the bait-and-switch, as Carpenter revealed a several safer versions.
