Taylor Swift surprised fans at the 2024 Grammys with the announcement of her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Fans were expecting the release of “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” even trending the hashtag “Rep TV” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD) was released on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Two hours after the album’s release, Swift announced a second installment to TTPD: “The Tortured Poets Department: Anthology,” featuring 15 extra songs.
“I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past two years and wanted to share it all with you,” Swift captioned the announcement post.
This album consists of 31 tracks in total, including 4 bonus tracks, the double album, and two collaborations with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine. “TTPD” is a synth-pop compilation that includes elements from her other albums, “Folklore,” “Evermore,” “1989,” and “Midnights.” The lyricism in this album is unlike anything we’ve seen from Swift. She explores poetry and the complexities of her adulthood, offering Swifties very heavy themes.
“So High School,” a track from the double album, sounds like something from a coming-of-age movie. It starts with an electric guitar riff and continues with cheesy lyrics that embody teenage romance. “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” is a line that many are connecting to her current relationship with Travis Kelce.
“But Daddy I Love Him” is a track about the constant public criticism of Swift’s personal life. This is especially apparent in the post-chorus, where she says she’d rather “burn [her] whole life down” than listen to any more complaints from so-called “fans.” In the bridge, she states, “God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what’s best for me,” referring to fans who’ve developed parasocial relationships with Swift’s romantic life.
“How Did It End?”, also part of the double album, is one of my favorite breakup ballads in “TTPD”. The song starts with the line “We hereby conduct this post-mortem.” I interpreted this as the public wanting a ‘post-mortem’ on each of Swift’s relationships while she’s grappling with the confusion of how they even ended in the first place.
“TTPD” blew me away with Taylor Swift’s beautiful storytelling. I give it a 4/5.