Every time, Taylor Swift drops a single or releases an album, she creates a stir with her verses and needless to say, the subtle references to past relationships and exes, “who broke her heart,” become a topic of discussion in the days to follow. The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, last Friday, released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, comprising 31 tracks inspired by her own life, relationships (naturally!) and experiences, leaving ‘Swifties’ overwhelmed and emotional. While one is yet to listen to all 31 songs, “Fortnight”, “Clara Bow”, “Florida!!!”, “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” and “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?” are already among the most talked about numbers from the album which has smashed Amazon Music and Spotify records.
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Music critics are now weighing in on the album, with some calling it Taylor’s most “intimate” and “raw” work so far while others said it is a marriage between “ripped-from-the-diary lyrics of her older albums” and Folklore. “In moments, her 11th album feels like a bloodletting: A cathartic purge after a major heartbreak delivered through an ascendant vocal run, an elegiac verse, or mobile, synthesised productions that underscore the powers of Swift’s storytelling,” Maria Sherman from Associated Press wrote, calling The Tortured Poets Department a “great sad pop, meditative theatre”. While many spoke about Taylor being diaristic in the songwriting and focusing too much on her personal life, love and loss, Sherman, argued, “Swift sings about a tortured poet, but she is one, too. And isn’t it great that she’s allowed herself the creative license?”
Taylor Swift goes Gothic for a track in TTPD (Photo: Instagram/taylorswift)
For ‘Swifties’, a 31-track album from their ‘Goddess’ seemed like the year’s biggest surprise which closely followed her Eras Tour, but not many are excited about it, including pop culture writers. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis called the album “too lengthy”. “The synth glitter of ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’ is less interesting than the lyrics it supports; you could argue that this stuff protesting her fans attempting to control her private life is the unintended consequence of minting a style of songwriting that basically invites speculation about her private life,” Petridis commented. “That said, those lyrics are as well-turned as the pen-portraits of her ex. There’s clearly a risk involved in calling out elements of your own fanbase, however justified said attack is, but Swift pulls it off.”
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The Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield is in awe of TTPD for its music and detail-oriented sound as well as Taylor’s personal story. “The songs go for that detailed ‘Folkmore’ style of story craft, yet instead of fictional characters, she’s pouring her heart into her own deeply personal exorcisms. Sometimes her adult break-up tales are devastating, as in ‘So Long, London’ or ‘loml.’ Sometimes they’re hilarious, as in ‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys’ or ‘Down Bad.’ But they’re usually both,” Rob wrote in his review.
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Over the years, Taylor hasn’t shied away from hitting back at trolls and no matter how many Grammys she won and the records she broke, the billionaire continues to face constant criticisms. NME’s Laura Molloy, in her review, calls TTPD, a “rare misstep,” stating that despite her success and the shift in gender dynamics in the entertainment industry, the singer chose not to acknowledge it. Referring to “Clara Bow,” she said the song offers some respite, highlighting the inevitable lifecycle of young female stars who replaced their predecessors only to be replaced by the same system years later. “Though Swift herself seems immune to the machine-churn of pop stars — now maintaining a greater relevance than ever nearly two decades into her career — it’s one of the album’s most poignant and best moments. Ultimately this record lacks the genuinely interesting shifts that have punctuated Swift’s career so far, from the lyrical excellence on her superior breakup album Red to 1989’s pivot to high-octane pop. Even Folklore and Evermore, perhaps her most dynamic works to date, came out of a need to prove herself as a songwriter,” she commented.
Fans found “But Daddy I Love Him” particularly absurd for harping too much on her brief relationship with Matty Healy. “But Daddy I Love Him seemingly exists as her response to the backlash against her brief relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Their fleeting romance, which seems to be the muse for much of the record, triggered an explosive reaction from her fanbase who were distraught at Swift’s public association with the singer, given his slew of controversial comments,” said Molly who found the track “bizarre”.
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While heartbroken lovers resonate with the tracks, not many could connect with the lyrics and themes such as fatalism, crime etc. in TTPD. “The Tortured Poets Department’ won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s chaotic, verbose and full of words that scream, ‘I own a thesaurus.’ It still works, because Swift is in on the joke. At the end of the day, I’d rather have a sensitive and self-indulgent album than one that’s trying too hard to be pretty and perfect. I can’t relate to the woman looking statuesque onstage, with her polite grin and sequined silhouette. But I can relate to the woman who bares her teeth when the crowd demands, ‘MORE!’” read an excerpt from Callie Ahlgrim’s review for Business Insider.
For years, ‘Swifties’ have enjoyed Taylor’s music which spoke about heartbreaks and illness, but TTPD has left them both worried and divided, perhaps for the very first time. While the singer’s current relationship with Travis Kelce and PDA moments continue to interest her fans, they aren’t happy with the verses used against her exes. “idk why taylor swift is writing those songs like matty healy wasn’t a notoriously disgusting person, who said some truly racist, sexist shite PUBLICLY, BEFORE they dated. girl gtfo here i ain’t gonna feel sorry for you, you knew who he was and you kept him around. #TTPD (sic)” wrote a fan on X (formerly Twitter)
Another one commented, “The only thing more mortifying than your ex writing a breakup album about you is your ex writing a breakup album that actually isn’t even about you. RIP Joe Alwyn, a man who wasn’t even eulogized at his own funeral (sic).” “honestly feel like i’m going insane over the Matty Healy Taylor Swift rumours. imagine if she ends up having a reactionary red scare wannabe mean girl arc just because her bf is an edgy reddit atheist who does nazi salutes “as a bit (sic)” read a comment.
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