Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department: Album Review (Part 1)

Taylor Swift has taken the pop scene by storm, and has earned the title of Spotify’s most-streamed artist for both 2023 and 2024. She has become this generation’s ‘Queen Of Pop’, and love her or hate her, she is an undeniably skilled artist who has written some of the most successful songs of the modern age.

Swift has personally written every song in her discography, excluding her cover songs and guest features, a rare attribute in modern music. Her music style has changed over the years, from bright and preppy pop such as ‘Shake It Off’, to rock pop like ‘Better Than Revenge’ and ‘Haunted’, to heart-wrenching indie track ‘This Love’, and even a festive ode to her childhood growing up on a Christmas tree farm. Her music style seamlessly adapts to current trends, and makes waves of its own, with fans across the world exalting her talent.

Swift’s ability to craft emotional and highly relatable songs has made her a cultural icon for young people, and this source of popularity has endured throughout the eras. Swift isn’t just a ‘pop star’ - she is a talented and prolific singer-songwriter, with a skill for engaging her audience.

However, Taylor Swift is no stranger to criticism, with many accusing her work of being ‘over-manufactured’ and even ‘overrated’. This 3-part review will take an unbiased song-by-long look at her new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, and see if her latest chart-topper is truly worth the hype.

Fortnight

‘Fortnight’ has retained the simplicity of the indie style Swift used in ‘This Love’, skilfully weaving in the nostalgia of 80s synth bass lines in perfect complement to her voice. The addition of Post Malone’s male vocals gives a balance to the track, perfectly capturing the duality of perspective found in Swift’s lyrics.

This track depicts the differing perspectives involved in an extra-marital affair. Whether Swift is drawing from personal experience, or using her exceptional story-telling abilities here is irrelevant - her ability to paint a picture of emotional experiences in a simple style is breathtaking.

Some critics of Taylor Swift may argue that this track is repetitive, monotonous even, but perhaps that is part of this track’s charm. This track is honest, vulnerable, and stripped back to the bare bones.

The Tortured Poets Department

Swift continues her nostalgic 80s style in this yearning love song, plucking at the listener’s heartstrings with emotional lyrics, while lightly parodying the ‘tortured poet’ narrative with statements like ‘You’re not Dylan Thomas and I’m not Patti Smith, this ain’t the Chelsea Hotel’ and ‘Who uses typewriters anyway?’. The melody and backing music to the track could be critiqued for being perhaps a little cheesy - but then again, many of the most successful songs are.

This Taylor Swift song is a commentary on the destruction that glamorising pain can cause, and yet, she simultaneously captures the addictiveness of languishing in love. It’s a skilfully mastered track, highly relatable for anyone who has ever had an intense love affair.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys

‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys’ has a darker sound to it, addressing the turmoil of being in a relationship with an avoidant partner. Swift describes herself as a doll, telling the listener to ‘Pull the string and I’ll tell you that he runs because he loves me’.

The strong beat gives structure to Swift’s melodious vocals, and adds a harshness to the track in keeping with the lyrics. Swift’s vocals provide characterisation to the song too, from strong and almost harsh at points, to breathy and lovelorn.

This track is a testament to Swift’s storytelling and characterisation abilities, stirring up emotions and allowing the listener to dive deep into her experience.

Down Bad

In this track, Swift is an alien abductee, being beamed up in ‘a cloud of sparkling dust’ just for her lover to do experiments on. She describes the experience of being abandoned ‘in a field all alone’, and being left unable to move on.

This song is a real, raw look at the depression that follows after a breakup, the vulnerability, the anger, and the resistance to building a new life. Swift crafts her story using electronic elements to build a picture of the ‘cosmic love’ she describes in her lyrics.

So Long, London

The opening to So Long, London is exquisite, with Swift’s vocals acting as an angelic choir, merging into one haunting melody Then a soft, but fast-paced beat comes in, acting as an emphasis for Swift’s impactful lyrics.

Swift depicts the strain of carrying a relationship alone, holding on ‘with a white knuckle grip’, before eventually giving up. Her lyrics depict the sense of frustration, and at times, anger at her partner for putting her through so much to get so little in return. She describes how she eventually has to leave London, which breaks her heart because she loves the city.