Last month, Swifties everywhere celebrated after their idol, Taylor Swift released her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, one that her super-fans greatly anticipated. Encapsulating her unique storytelling as a way to reflect on her experiences, Swift’s newest tracks are diverse, mature, and a complete contrast to her original country-popstar identity.
Being a two part album with 31 songs in total, Swift tackles so much in this record. From covering intense heartbreak like Red, revengeful Reputation melodies, Lover-like tracks about her newest connections, and unique Folklore/Evermore soundscapes, The Tortured Poets Department encompasses vulnerability and openness upon her life. Every track feels as if you are diving into Taylor’s most personal and intimate diary entries.
As The Tortured Poets Department is Swift’s first release since the end of her years-long relationship with Joe Alwyn and short romances with Matty Healy, many tracks are a reflection of these relations. With tracks like “So Long, London” and “loml,” Swift lets her guard down and uncovers the ending of her 6 year relationship with Alwyn. Exposing her most genuine thoughts in lines like, “You’re the loss of my life,” she doesn’t hold back. Furthermore, track 14, titled “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” takes a stance at Healy, revealing more truths of her past. She sings, “Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead? Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?,” to begin the bridge of this piece, and may be the most powerful attack of the 31 songs.
She takes a turn from heartbreak with “thanK you aIMee,” a track dedicated to exposing the horrors Kim Kardashian put her through when attempting to destroy Swift’s career years prior. More importantly, she creatively illustrates how this enemy provoked personal growth, as the constant attacks only pushed the singer to build her legacy. The chorus beginning with, “All that time you were throwing punches I was building something” depicts this idea. Again, her immaculate storytelling paints a picture for listeners, yet this time a different theme, creating diversity among the album.
Shifting gears another time, “The Alchemy” and “So High School” resemble Taylor’s current lover, Travis Kelce. These tracks allow us to finally gain insight to her newest relationship by revealing how joyful and pure she feels with Kelce. They’re cleverly written, as she incorporates several football references throughout to hint at Kelce, who is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Swift specifically refers to the Super Bowl that she attended to support Travis in February by writing, “Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me.” These Kelce-inspired tracks add a romantic side to the album, expanding the assortment of topics.
A consistency among each melody is the aura they create. Whether Taylor is singing about heartbreak, revenge, or love, she sustains a consistent vibe that’s melancholic without sacrificing pop hooks. Lyrically, the album is more personal and mature than ever, and can serve as a relatable narrative to many listeners who have been in similar circumstances. Even though the mastermind has produced a countless amount of music, The Tortured Poets Department is one of the best, and definitely a masterpiece that Swifties can say is everything that they anticipated and more.
