After what seems like a fortnight, Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album, and it’s got Swifties down bad. “The Tortured Poets Department” marks not only Swift’s longest titled album but also one of her most streamed albums, breaking records within the first 24 hours of its release.
Swift shocked and delighted fans with the announcement of the new album back in February at the 2024 Grammys. Following the events of the past year, Swifties knew this album was going to be filled with breakup anthems, and it did not disappoint.
I’m personally a huge fan of Swift for her amazing lyricism and mastermindness behind everything she does. For me, this album did not disappoint in either aspect. After spending months watching Instagram for any clues to the album’s genre. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice alternative-rock-feeling album. There are no earworming beats or catchy lyrics in the album. It’s an album you really have to listen to a few times before you get a song stuck in your head, the most catchy of them being “Fortnight.” The title song, featuring Post Malone, has an infectious beat and captures the tone of the album perfectly.
Similar to “Midnights,” “The Tortured Poets Department” features songs more about Swift’s life experiences rather than the storytelling aspects people loved from “folklore” and “evermore.” But when you truly listen to any Taylor Swift song, you’ll find beautifully crafted lyrics that never tell a straightforward tale. I love this about Swift’s music. Her ability to string words together to create beautifully tragic lyrics is uncanny, and she pulls no punches in this album. I found myself shocked and delighted with many of the lyrics, including, but not limited to, “we hereby conduct this post-mortem” (“How Did It End?”) and “old habits die screaming” (“The Black Dog”).
The first half of the album was released at midnight on April 19th with 16 tracks, but Swift shocked and delighted fans by releasing 16 more tracks at 2 a.m. This may be controversial, but I enjoyed the first half of the album a lot more than the second. That is not to say the second portion of the album isn’t good, because it is, but the first half features some true bangers that I’m absolutely obsessed with. I felt that the closing song of the first half, “Clara Bow,” was a perfect closing track to the album – one that “The Manuscript” does not top, in my opinion.
For me personally, this album ranks high in Taylor Swift’s repertoire. With its alternative-sounding beats and shocking lyrics that had me gasping, “The Tortured Poets Department” did not make me hate it here.
