Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, on Friday, April 19 at midnight. After she released the first 16 songs, she surprised us at 2 a.m. by announcing that it was a double album. She then released 15 more songs. Millions of people spent over two hours listening to the album—making it the first album to have 300 million streams in one day.
Swift has included many songs in this album about her breakups with British actor Joe Alwyn and singer-songwriter Matty Healy, as she has done in past albums. In classic Taylor fashion, she also included songs about feuds with celebrities. The breakup and feud songs don’t use names but have subtle references to details of the relationships. In “thanK you aIMee,” Swift addresses a long feud with Kim Kardashian by painting her as a high school bully. She discusses her long-term relationship with Alwyn that grew tiresome (“So Long London”) and a quick fling with Healy that almost got her canceled (“But Daddy I Love Him”). She even includes a song about her current relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (“The Alchemy”).
Swift uses her classic style of emotional lyrics to enhance the songs’ messages. A song that captures the sadness and general emotion of the album is “loml.” The acronym loml normally stands for “love of my life,” but in this song, it stands for “loss of my life” to reflect Swift’s six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn. “loml” solely features a soft piano, and Swift’s voice considers the mistakes of her relationship.
But it’s not just drama that Swift brings to this album, as she also brings a new sound. The album combines the vibes of past albums Evermore, Folklore and Midnights to create a fresh sound. From the beginning to the end, the new sounds of soft poetry and loud drums electrify her anger and help elevate the entire album. This new sound could be due to Aaron Dessner, who produced Evermore and Folklore and returned to produce some of the songs on the album.
A perfect example of this electrification is in Florida!!! (ft. Florence and the Machine), seemingly one of the less meaningful songs on the album. Swift discusses her love of Florida—a relatively bland topic—which actually helps the song. The chorus is essentially Swift and Florence Welch screaming “Florida” with five loud drum beats for three minutes straight. It is a nice break from a heavy album that will make you cry many times—and yes, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Florida tourism agency picks it up for ads.
A weakness of the album is how long it is. While I usually don’t turn down more Taylor Swift, a 31-song album is very long to listen to. Not only extremely long, but the original 16 songs of the album are far better than the last 15 released at 2 a.m. I would rather it be separated into two albums—plus, a shorter album would not have given me sleep deprivation before my Spanish quiz.
Besides the length, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT stands as a reflection of Swift’s magical songwriting ability and her versatility as an artist. It’s a testament to her resilience in the face of adversity and her willingness to embrace vulnerability.
5 Stars 10/10 100% Certified Fresh
Best Song: “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
The song has some remnants of Swift’s greatest song of all time, “All Too Well,” including symbolism, revenge and ruthlessness. Full of emotion, Swift criticizes Healy, killing him word by word. With one of the best bridges, this song is the culmination of Swift’s discography of breakup songs and is an absolute banger.
Catchiest Song: “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
I will be singing the chorus every day for the next week straight.
Saddest Song: “loml”
It totally didn’t make me cry when I heard it for the first time.
Most Scathing: “thanK you aIMee”
Calling Kim Kardashian a bully in high school is an unexpected roast but nevertheless thrilling.
Best Sound: “Florida!!!” (Feat. Florence and the Machine)
Those drums provide a sound different from the rest of her songs.
Most Anticipated: “So Long London”
This song almost serves as a second part of “London Boy,” a song on her 2019 Lover album that discusses her deep love for Joe Alwyn. “So Long London” shows that she has moved on from Alwyn and has accepted the end of their relationship. This song was highly anticipated and rightfully so.