“The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift’s long-awaited 11th studio album, was released at midnight this past Friday. The album itself is inconsistent in its quality, something which is a new problem for the artist, whose albums are known for being cohesive. It is one which must be examined on a track by track basis.
Track 1: “Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone)
Rating: 1/5
This track was a weak start to the album, with vibes that are very derivative of “Snow On The Beach,” a title from “Midnights.” Post Malone provides backing vocals that feel somewhat out of place, as they contribute a techno vibe.
Track 2: “The Tortured Poets Department”
Rating: 2/5
This song is the one responsible for the markedly millennial title of the album. It appears to be a nod to her time with Matty Healy, lead singer of the 1975, with references to his friends and his typewriter. Although its concept — a love story between two tortured “poets” who happen to be obscenely famous record-charting celebrities — is rather ironic, the song itself is catchy with its repeated line of “who’s gonna hold you like me?”
Track 3: “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
Rating: 3/5
The third installment to the album had a markedly synth-pop tone, and, despite not being a stand-out track, it also appears to be the one in which Swift finds her footing with strong vocals and a powerful chorus that builds.
Track 4: “Down Bad”
Rating: 2/5
This song is undeniably repetitive and is indistinguishable from other generic breakup songs. Although her writing style is advanced due to her inherent talent, this song falls short of the lyrical prowess she exhibited in her last three studio albums, “folklore,” “evermore” and “Midnights.”
Track 5: “So Long, London”
Rating: 5/5
This track is a gut-wrenching breakup song about the dissolution of her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn, a London native. The bridge builds in typical Swift fashion and she refers to Alwyn as a “moment of warm sun,” a notably devastating contradiction to her previous nods to him in “Lover” in which he is often compared to enduring daylight.
Track 6: “But Daddy I Love Him”
Rating: 5/5
This song has the feel of Swift’s earlier work and would not feel out of place on an album like, “Speak Now.” It has a nostalgic, fun feel of being in love and is executed well with a pure tone to Swift’s voice.
Track 7: “Fresh Out the Slammer”
Rating: 3.5/5
“Fresh Out the Slammer,” a powerful nod to her rekindled relationship with Healy, has a synth beat but with beautiful upper-register vocals and a chorus that builds in power throughout the song. Despite this, it has the same underlying beat that makes it hard to distinguish from other tracks on the album.
Track 8: “Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + the Machine)
Rating: 2.5/5
Florence Wench offers a nice variation in tone in this song with her rich and powerful tone. The song is one that is catchy, however, its overly-dramatic ode to the often-ridiculed American state is one which cannot help but invoke a grimace with its self-importance.
Track 9: “Guilty as Sin?”
Rating: 4.5/5
This track is both catchy and capable of capturing the pain behind the slow unraveling of a long-term relationship and the frightening entrance into a new one. It is one of sadness and hope, and of anger and lust.
Track 10: “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
Rating: 4.5/5
A bitter call for the public to reflect on their hyper-scrutiny of Swift’s life with the line “circus life made me mean,” this track is very “reputation”-era and is executed well. Swift invokes her lower register in an impressive and powerful fashion.
Track 11: “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
Rating: 2.5/5
This song is a nod to the common emotion many individuals feel of being convinced they can “fix” a damaged partner. The song has a compelling rhythm, but ultimately, its lyrical complicity doesn’t go much further than the title.
Track 12: “loml”
Rating: 4.5/5
The track seems to take a dig at Alwyn’s lack of commitment in their relationship and offers a play on “loml” to mean “loss” rather than “love” of one’s life. It is a beautiful ode to a painful breakup despite its repetitive melody.
Track 13: “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
Rating: 2.5/5
This song is catchy and explores the same themes as previous tracks on the album, but with a lesser degree of success. Its depressing lyrics with a happy tune was done better in Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS.”
Track 14: “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
Rating: 5/5
A heart-wrenching deep-dive into her relationship with Healy with a commanding bridge and anger that bleeds throughout the verses, this song contains all the right amount of raw emotion and dark lyricism, such as “did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?” and “it wasn’t sexy once it wasn’t forbidden.”
Track 15: “The Alchemy”
Rating: 1/5
An ode to Travis Kelce, “The Alchemy” is a love song that feels out of place in this album. It contains a play on “touch down” and jersey numbers, which feels forced.
Track 16: “Clara Bow”
Rating: 4/5
This track is named after a famous old-movie actress who invoked much controversy and is a beautiful and sad, rather than angry, reflection about her struggle in the limelight — which serves as a strong ending to the album.
The 2 a.m. edition to “The Tortured Poets Department” was a surprise to many loyal fans and contained 15 additional tracks. The highlights of this part of the album are undoubtedly “The Albatross,” a song with similar lyrical and musical complexity to what is seen on “evermore,” and “thanK you aIMee,” the thinly veiled yet amazingly catchy nod to Swift’s feud with Kim Kardashian. In addition, “Cassandra” and “Peter” are astoundingly “folklore”-esque with their use of a fictional character and their strong, soft musical background behind advanced lyrics.
Overall, despite its messiness and occasional disappointments, this album was a strong one whose highlights make up for its blunders.
Overall rating: 3/5