By Mikey Adams
Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, arrives just 18 months after her synth-heavy, Grammy-winning sensation, Midnights.
In this whirlwind period, Swift has created the last great American dynasty, claiming titles like billionaire, Time’s 2023 Person of the Year, and Spotify’s most-streamed artist. Her Eras Tour shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing concert of all time, and even her concert film raked in millions. She pretty much saved the economy while resuscitating the tourism industry post-pandemic.
I expected her next release to be a victory lap but Taylor is far from satisfied standing on top of the mountains she moved. Turns out while she smiled on-stage for the fans and their phones, she was navigating the wreckage of a six-year relationship and the subsequent heartbreak of a disastrous rebound. The result is The Tortured Poets Department. TTPD is a 16-song manifesto. It’s a purge, a lyrical diary-dump set to the (sometimes too familiar) melancholy Folklore/Evermore - era melodies of long-time Producer/Co-Writer Jack Antonoff. Despite the catchy hooks of "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?", "My Boy Breaks His Favorite Toys", and "Down Bad", songs that will definitely have the young Swifties singing, this is her most mature and personal album to-date. It’s Taylor’s opportunity to process the grief of her failed six-year relationship, and the disastrous rebound that followed. It’s raw, and it’s public which I’d argue is the only way she knows how to process. She’s coming to terms with her sacrificed youth ("So Long, London") while clearing the field for a future of happiness ("The Alchemy"). The Tortured Poets Department serves as a haunting testament to the emotional rollercoaster she endured while she was literally bejeweled. It’s a reminder to us that even the brightest stars can be exiled, yet emerge with their artistry and create some really enchanting art.
The Tortured Poets Department is available in limited quantities in specialty vinyl versions at Easy Street Records in the West Seattle Junction.
