Review:The Tortured Poets Department

After her incredible Era’s Tour broke record after record this summer and continues at this height for the international leg of the tour that has already begun, Taylor Swift is currently at a career-high. Her cult following of Swifties is growing and growing by the day, with her masterfully entering genres she has not delved into before.

The release of Folklore in 2020 signified a turning point in Swift’s career, she was making her own decisions and releasing the music she wanted to, she was allowed to be more experimental, venturing into more indie sounds while still keeping that authenticity in her lyricism, and The Tortured Poets Department is no different.

From glorious lyricism to energetic beats to keep you dancing, TTPD has everything, and the extra 15 songs Swift surprised fans with will keep Swifties fed. It feels as if we have been allowed a secret passage into Swift’s diary and been told all of her deepest secrets and insecurities, creating a relationship with the listener through her writing that is unparalleled in the music industry right now. It has to be said, that Swift does not experiment much with sounds in this album, but this album is something much different to her earlier stuff, she is vulnerable, honest and completely authentic in every single song. 

My personal favourite on the album is 'Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?', here Swift describes how she feels she has been turned into a monster because of 'the asylum’ she has been raised in, using beautiful, heart-wrenching metaphors to describe her experience in the limelight.

Swift has always put honest truths into her music, but with the heights of her career and her personal turmoil over the past couple of years, it was easy to see that it could have been difficult for her to put out honest music. She surpassed all expectations and it was an instant classic, she has made everyone cry, dance and laugh at her satirical lines. My heart was churning, I felt like crying, but with sonder, there was an invisible force that affected music lovers.

Edited by Anna Cao