On April 19 at midnight, Taylor Swift released 16 new songs. Two hours later, she released 15 more. Such astonishing productivity has become synonymous with Swift in recent years, with it seeming like that at any moment she could announce a brand new project on a whim.
Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” and its second volume — subtitled “The Anthology” — arrive at a surprising height in the singer-songwriter’s career. Swift achieved great success with her 2022 album “Midnights” and embarked on her record-breaking Eras Tour a year later, all while continuing to add to her already impressive collection of Grammys.
For hardcore fans — those who riddle through all of Swift’s easter eggs, purchased the infamous “Midnights” vinyl clock and watched football for perhaps the first time in their lives — “The Tortured Poets Department” has much to offer. From a cultural standpoint, the album is an interesting record that guides listeners through the psyche and the vicissitudes of Swift and her personal life over the past several years.
For those less invested in the lore surrounding Taylor Swift, “The Tortured Poets Department” is musically monotonous and overstays its welcome. Swift works with long-time collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, yet this time the trio rarely delivers — despite the success of their previous works.
Much of “The Tortured Poets Department” also feels clunky, likely due to its untrimmed bulk. On “I Hate It Here,” Swift sings, “Tell me something awful / Like you are a poet / Trapped inside the body of a finance guy.” Swift’s occasionally verbose and head-scratching lyrics markedly hold back many of her songs.
Rest assured, some songs attempt to resuscitate the record. The opening track “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone is a pretty tune. Swift’s voice cooly glides over a punchy synth. “So Long, London” bears a palpable emotional weight, given that it’s possibly about the end of a long-term relationship. The song is restless, an anxious sonic chase as she laments, “So long, London / Had a good run.”
The track “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” offers a rare moment of energy to the record along with surprising insights from Swift. The song discusses how, despite feeling miserable post-breakup, Swift has had to masquerade as an ideal, agreeable and cheery pop star night after night on the Eras Tour. She sings, “All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting ‘More!’” But, interesting moments like these are few and far between.
In the end, 31 tracks running the gamut from bland to blandish is a big ask for most listeners.
Back in 2020, Swift mysteriously posted on social media, “Not a lot going on at the moment.” Later that year, Swift released her acclaimed album “Folklore.” It’s fair to speculate that the restfulness brought about by the pandemic helped engender Swift’s best record to date. Though Swift seems pressured to release prodigious quantities of music as fast as she can, for the sake of its quality, perhaps a break is needed. It’s certainly well-deserved.
