'The Tortured Poets Department' Review: Taylor Swift's Most Refreshingly Direct Lyrics To Date
'The Tortured Poets Department' Review: Taylor Swift's Most Refreshingly Direct Lyrics To Date
Swift’s latest genre-blending record contains some of her most scathingly honest lyrics and strongest collaborations to date, solidifying a more mature musical direction for the superstar.
Last Friday morning marked the long- anticipated release of Taylor Swift’s eleventh studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (Tortured Poets, for short). Then, just two hours later, fans were surprised with a second installment: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY, - much to the joy of thousands who had speculated online about the ‘double album theory’, thanks to a recent abundance of the number two in Swift’s recent communications.
Marketed as the product of meetings from a psychiatric ward/ English department with Swift as its author and chairman, her latest poetry-themed venture (with hints of rock, synth-pop and folk) has proved astronomically successful. In its first four days, the album sold over 2.1 million units in the US, already surpassing her own highest first-week sales record according to Billboard. Swift continues to top her own records across all streaming platforms, with Tortured Poets becoming the most streamed album in a day on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music. Critical responses have been varied, but mostly praise the quality of writing and production.
I will preface this album review with my credentials as a loud and proud Taylor Swift fan. As vice-president of my university’s very own Swiftie Society and the new album’s release date coinciding with my 21st birthday, I was naturally very excited to receive this gift from Taylor. That said, it is worth noting that no artist is above constructive criticism and fair reviews.
Standout tracks
A clear departure from Swift’s previous catalogue of ‘glitter gel pen’ pop, it’s safe to say this album grows on you more after each listen. Over the last week, I’ve had all 31 tracks on continuous repeat, and my opinions have certainly changed since scribbling my chaotic initial thoughts in bed during the early hours of Friday morning.
Best opener: ‘Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)’
A strong lead single with a phenomenally catchy bridge, this song and its accompanying music video are the perfect introduction to an album filled with anguish, love, and loss. Although I would have expected a bigger feature from Post Malone, his voice harmonises well with Swift’s throughout the song and adds a unique melody to the bridge.
Swift’s best title track: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
Witty, clever and just generally a fun one to sing, the album’s titular track mocks a past lover’s (speculated to be Matty Healy of The 1975) rather pretentious habits whilst detailing unconditional love in spite of this. With an instrumental reminiscent of ‘mirrorball’ from 2020’s folklore, this track continues a strong opening for the album.
Most devastatingly sad: ‘loml’
Who could have predicted ‘loml’ would stand not for ‘love of my life’, but Loss? Detailing a melancholic response to the end of a long-term relationship and a deeply emotive vocal performance from Swift, this gut-wrenching piano ballad is the most raw track on the album.
Most in love: ‘So High School’
This nostalgic, soft rock-infused track most closely replicates the doe-eyed teenage dream, honeymoon phase of a new relationship. ‘Truth, dare, spin bottles/ You know how to ball/ I know Aristotle’ to describe her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce is simply genius (and SO fun to sing).
Most scathingly angry: ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’
Whoever inspired this one (widely speculated once again to be Matty Healy) really did a number on Swift’s emotions. Starting slow and low, the song builds to a powerful attack of rhetorical questions about the relationship’s abrupt end, detailing feelings of deep hurt, embarrassment and venomous rage. This is perhaps the most direct ‘diss track’ of a past relationship she has ever released.
Honourable mention here to ‘But Daddy I Love Him’, which airs Swift’s frustrations with both her fanbase and the general public’s intense scrutiny of her personal life, through her usual combination of metaphors and specific references to real events.
My personal favourite: ‘Guilty as Sin?’
This track has the catchiest melody and by far the most mature lyrics on the album. Perfectly encapsulating Swift’s recent shift to more lowkey, synth-based pop, it marks a natural continuation from 2022’s Midnights and contains a magic ingredient that sticks in your head all day long.
Honourable mention to ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’, whose shockingly honest lyrics contrast with the track’s upbeat, poppy instrumental, reflecting Swift’s inner emotional conflict at the beginning of the Eras Tour.
What I like
Tortured Poets very much feels like an album of two sides: Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner. With such contrasting production styles, it can lead to a somewhat disjointed first impression. However, considering its release as a surprise double album, this approach works surprisingly well. The first half is a cohesive continuation of Midnights, resulting in radio hits and appealing more to the general public, whilst the later Anthology tracks highlight a more vulnerable side and contain callbacks to 2020’s fan- favourite album evermore.
This combination of approaches allows Swift get everything off her chest, resulting in a more honest, full-bodied album in keeping with her signature style of direct lyrics with just enough details changed to avoid countless libel cases.
What I don’t like
However, because of these two sides, it can be described as somewhat disjointed and lacking the usual cohesiveness of previous projects. This is not helped by the immense length of the record- 31 tracks is unheard of, and perhaps for good reason. There are notable differences in lyrical quality between certain tracks, with the record undoubtedly benefiting from weaker tracks such as ‘Robin’ being cut in order to be more cohesive.
Despite this, Tortured Poets is an obvious contender for the 2025 Grammy Awards, against other notable entries such as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine. The certainty of this album’s mainstream success will depend largely on which songs are sent to radio as supporting singles over the coming months, as demonstrated by Lover’s 2019 hidden gem ‘Cruel Summer’ making an unprecedented resurgence in 2023 after becoming the supporting single for the Eras Tour.
Ahead of the European leg of the record- shattering Eras Tour, the next question on everyone’s minds: how will these new tracks fit, if at all?
Whilst Swift’s actions are notoriously difficult to predict recently, it seems the show’s only available slot to accommodate Tortured Poets is during the ‘surprise song’ acoustic set. This is arguably the most anticipated section of the 3.5 hour- long concert, with tens of thousands of viewers tuning in via livestreams each night. From a publicity perspective, it would seem most logical to maintain the suspense of a surprise song element by alternating two different songs from Tortured Poets each night, thus rewarding both her virtual and in- person audiences.
For now, fans can only wait for more cryptic social media snippets of rehearsals, lovingly crafting tortured poetry friendship bracelets in the process.
Department meeting adjourned.
The Tortured Poets Department is out now.