Taylor Swift’s release of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, back in April of this year, broke records across all platforms, including Billboard’s most streamed album ever. TTPD is Swift’s longest album to date, containing a total of 31 songs. While criticism and pure unwarranted hate are nothing new in Swift’s career, this album’s release has left a divide even among the devoted “Swiftie” fanbase.
Throughout my listening journey and understanding of the media’s coverage of TTPD, it seems the biggest critiques of the album are the redundancy of the production, shallow lyrics, and an overall boring and depressing experience. Here’s my perspective; as a passionate Taylor Swift enthusiast, I can understand these feelings. It is most definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. The Tortured Poet’s Department is Swift’s most direct autobiographical album. This can be an immediate no-go for most people who don’t care for lyrics and rather just the musical listening experience. On the contrary, Swift’s 10th album, Midnights, is drastically different from a genre perspective. Many admired songs on Midnights are upbeat pop hits that are distinctly recognizable.
Undoubtedly, those bright and catchy mainstream hits Swift is most known for are a weak spot of TTPD. With 31 songs on the double album, there is immense pressure on the listener’s engagement and attention span. This proves to be a difficult ask, in part due to the repetition of similar sounding rhythms across many of the songs. It can feel draining as you approach the end of the album, whereas songs such as “Cassandra,” “The Bolter,” and “Robin” seem rather dull and unmemorable.
All in all, I still highly recommend giving this album a spin. Even if the melancholic, love-sick tone isn’t your thing, it is undeniably some of Taylor Swift’s best songwriting to date. Highlights of the album are “How Did It End?,””Peter,” and “So High School.” The Tortured Poet’s Department has a powerful emotional effect, making the listening experience resemble a memoir rather than just an album.
