Taylor Swift is one of the biggest women in pop culture. She has millions of fans including me as one of them. So, the fans were elated when Swift announced her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” at this year’s Grammy Awards. The second it was announced, I freaked out. I ran around my house with excitement. The album will include 16 songs, 4 bonus tracks, and 2 guest features on songs. The 2 features will be Post Malone on the song “Fortnight” and Florence + the Machine on the song “Florida!!!”
But there has been some speculation about this album. It is expected to be a breakup album as it is speculated to have been written around the time of her split with her long-time boyfriend Joe Alwyn. While it’s no secret that Swift writes about her ex-boyfriends frequently, there has not been a full breakup album since her album Red was released in 2012.
Before the release of this album, I could guess it would be very sad. Just thinking about an album full of breakup songs going into it I knew it would most likely be devastating. The way Swift expresses her feelings through her songs is staggering.
So let’s get into the album. I was expecting just one album with 16 tracks, maybe a couple of extra surprise tracks just because that’s who Taylor Swift is. But while we were all asleep at 2 AM, Swift went above and beyond by releasing a surprise double album with an extra 15 tracks. The double album is named “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology”.
I found myself dissatisfied with the album in itself especially cause she does breakup albums so well. It just feels like it droned on forever. There are references to all her past boyfriends from the last two years including Matty Healy, Joe Alwyn, and her current boyfriend Travis Kelce. The song ”Fortnight” featuring Post Malone just didn’t hit how I thought it would. The lyrics were so repetitive and it was just not what I expected for her. Swift also makes a lot of references to killing men and death in “The Tortured Poets Department”. That just feels so violent for her. This album just has such dark undertones and it’s kind of scary. She tried so many different genres with her music but this one was just not a good fit for her.
That’s not to say there aren’t some tracks that weren’t good. I enjoyed “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” and “So Long, London” but I feel like I’m grasping at straws. The bad outweighed the good with this album. As a Swiftie, I am here to tell you this isn’t her best album. At first listen, many including me hated this album. But I will say it gradually grows on you. So I would give it a second chance, it’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.
