React: Taylor Swift - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT
A raw, emotionally honest album.
This reaction requires no intro. It’s been a long time coming. Nothing was released prior to the release of the album so we’re all experiencing this for the first time.
So without further ado, here’s Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.
Fortnight (featuring Post Malone)
This track is a lot softer than I had expected. I guess it’s setting the mood of the album. But it’s giving off folklore and evermore vibes. I don’t listen to Post Malone (although I love his overall vibe as a person) but this isn’t what I was expecting from him either.
The track gives me a warm and inviting vibe. The song references Florida more than a few times, which makes me think this track might be related to Florida!!!. Which, makes sense since they are the only two tracks with a feature on them.
The Tortured Poets Department
Let’s hope the title track is good. But since it’s Taylor, I have no doubt it’s a banger. It is, however, interesting that the title track is in title case yet the name of the album is in all caps. Not trying to clown or anything, but that’s super interesting.
Yeah, this album is definitely going for that warm, inviting, 80s vibe. That’s two tracks in a row now with the same vibe. Especially with that filtered snare drum, piano, and synth combo. Synth-pop, even.
We’re only two tracks in and I’m already sobbing. We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist. Is she insinuating a future Charlie Puth collab?!?
Sick bridge. Drops everything but the drums and synth. It gives space for her vocals and it absolutely shines.
Then there’s the fade out. Sounds easy to do, but is quite difficult to nail correctly.
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
I love the subtle clap coming out of the left channel. Super quiet and I bet most people missed it on the first listen. I almost did.
The chorus to this song is gorgeous. As always, Taylor manages to nail harmonizing with herself. The backing vocals blend so well with her main vocal track. You also have the constantly changing oh, oh oh’s throughout the track.
This song is very spacious—the soundstage is super wide. Yet, there’s not too much going on in terms of instrumentation.
We all know this, but Taylor is an excellent songwriter. Another mention of a tortured heart here.
Down Bad
If you know me you know that certain sounds draw me in and oftentimes make certain songs my absolute favorite. The synth coming out of the left channel right off the rip does that for me. I’m vibing to just that part of the track and I’m not even 10 seconds in yet.
So far? This is my favorite track. I’m bopping my head and am vibing to the track. That synth though—I keep trying to listen for it. It comes and goes and after that initial intro, it’s very low in the mix. An absolutely killer beat here.
I love the abstract breakdown that starts at the 2:48 minute mark. It’s admittedly a rarity in Taylor’s music, but I love them regardless of artist. It lets a song breathe.
This track might end up being one of my favorites on the album.
So Long, London
Starting off with a left/right channel call and response. Nice. Has a church vibe reverb to it. That extends to Taylor’s main vocal as well. There’s a ton of reverb there.
There’s that famous Taylor bridge again. Admittedly a little disappointed here. Sonically, it felt like it was building up to something, only for it to disperse into nothing right at the end of the bridge. The intensity was building but there was no resolution, I felt.
But I suppose I misread this track entirely. It’s a ballad. I was thinking there might be a big pop/rock style outro to the track. Definitely did not get that here. The song is intimate and vulnerable.
But Daddy I Love Him
Oh hey, acoustic guitar. I noticed this is one of the longer tracks on the album as well.
This track is a different type of head bop than Down Bad, but it’s a head bop nonetheless. Taylor tends to do that for me. It’s a slower paced ballad, yet she’s able to get me to bang my head.
I’m going to go there. This track sounds like a country/pop song and I’m in love. We’re only halfway through the track, but I’m predicting this to be one of my favorite tracks.
I’m loving the outro. Just the instrumentation and some ad-libs. And of fucking course, it’s a fade out ending. Chef’s kiss.
Fresh Out The Slammer
Is this another country/pop track? That intro definitely is signaling that. Again, she makes me bop my head even if the pacing is a bit slower. One could say she’s a Mastermind and that it was all by design.
More proof that it’s a country/pop track? The soft clap and mix of various acoustic guitars. Oh my god, her vocals at 1:16 are absolutely beautiful. Both her main and backing vocals are so good there.
Wow, that bridge. She just threw everything out. It almost sounds like a whole new song. Given how the previous tracks on this album have gone, I was not expecting that at all. The tempo and pacing slows even more, yet her vocal pacing stays the same. That’s definitely interesting for sure.
The bridge into the ending of the track is also an interesting choice.
Florida!!! (featuring Florence + The Machine)
Okay, here we go. The song I was most excited about. I’ve been a huge Florence + The Machine fan for a long time now and when I heard that she was going to make an appearance on a Taylor album saying I was ecstatic would be an understatement.
I love the syncopated vocals in the first verse. And there’s Florence coming in on the second verse. Props to the production engineer here. The layering of Florence’s vocals is absolutely fantastic. You have the lower register backing vocal, of course, but they also added another "layer" that initially comes out of the left channel but switches to the right channel for the second portion of the verse. Even then, I think I’m hearing two or three layers in those respective channels.
I understand I may have a bias here but I think this is one of the better features Taylor’s had from within the last few albums. There’s so much back and forth. Not only is there a lot of back and forth, but there’s also quite a bit of harmonizing between both Taylor and Florence as well. What an absolute treat.
I know I usually talk about the production and a song from a musicality perspective but I was absolutely mesmerized by the vocals on this track.
Guilty as Sin?
Not gonna lie, the drums at the beginning of this track had me thinking we might be getting a rock song. (We’re not, it’s fine.)
This song is super fun. It’s an upbeat pop song. The best way to describe it is I can imagine this track being used in a movie where you’re walking through the park. It’s giving happiness.
The vocal layering, especially during the choruses is insane. There’s gotta be at least five or six layers there. It’s a testament to Taylor’s vocal maturity and technical capability.
I love how this track ends. More than a fade out and more than ending with a single note. It strips away everything but the drums, her vocal, a synth, and a plucked guitar and violin coming out of the right channel.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
Another one of those long tracks. Usually, we only get one of those, especially in the modern era of music streaming. It’s refreshing to see longer songs make a comeback.
This song is giving off melodrama. It would fit right in with a TV drama. I live for the drama. Again with the syncopated vocal throughout the track. Love that. I’m a sucker for those as well.
The call and response in the second chorus is great, shouting You should be back and forth. Of course, this is a response to the ultimate question, Who’s afraid of little old me?
Again, with the stripped back bridge. That seems to be the defining feature of this album and I’m more than okay with that. The track ends with Taylor asking the question once again, Who’s afraid of little old me?
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
The shortest song on the album and maybe one of the shortest songs she’s ever written. Taylor doesn’t typically write songs this short. Let’s see how this goes.
I love the sliding guitar and clap here. I think the sleeper here is the various hi-hats, cowbells, shakers, etc. sprinkled throughout the track. Like, if you were listening to this track in a car, you’d probably miss all of these extra details. But you’ll come to appreciate the detailing when you get a chance to really sit down and listen to the track.
And just like that, the track is over. It’s a quick one, but it’s absolutely worth listening to. I may sound like a broken record, but I could see this track being near the top of my favorite songs on the album list.
loml
Yes, I know loml stands for love of my life. This also indicates that this is probably going to be a ballad and I’ll probably cry. I prepared myself as best as I could.
What a beautiful track. So beautiful in fact, that I forgot to write my thoughts on it. Yeah, it’s that good. Give it a listen. For the most part, it’s just her main vocal and light backing vocals. There are some strings as well, but those are very low in the mix. The main focus is definitely the lyricism and piano.
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
This track is giving Mastermind and You’re On Your Own, Kid. The vocals are very aggressive here. It reminds me a lot of Now That We Don’t Talk. I’m not sure why this track is reminding me of a bunch of her previous work yet here we are.
Maybe it’s the talk singing? Again it’s a relatively new style for Taylor but I think she’s absolutely killing it.
More of this type of song please, Taylor.
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
Even though it’s not the first time she’s cussed, I’m thrown off by it every now and then. It happened in this track when she said, Who the fuck was that guy? I audibly gasped for a split second.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Yeah, it’s one of those tracks.
Especially coming into that bridge. It’s heartbreaking. Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead. Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed? I can’t relate to the situation, but my heart breaks for her. You deserve prison but you won’t serve time.
It’s a clap back song but it’s heartbreaking nonetheless.
The Alchemy
I’m not even five seconds in and I’m already bopping my head. I know exactly where this is going.
Again, I have to appreciate the production here. She has so many slower tempo head bopping tracks on this album. I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts.
I love that this track is basically one long chorus. You go from the first verse into what’s effectively the chorus for the remainder of the track.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you already know. Possibly one of my favorite tracks on the album. Do I need to say more?
Clara Bow
I’m loving the muted guitars. You look like, Stevie Nicks. In 75, the hair and lips. The track seems to be referencing what she probably heard when she first got started. A full circle moment, possibly?
And it really feels like that. To close out the album, she’s reflecting on her similarities with the famous actress Clara Bow, known for her silent films in the 1920s. The two are similar in that their personal lives are often put in the spotlight, not their work.
The line You look like Taylor Swift took me out. I don’t think she’s ever referenced herself by name before.
Conclusion
I mean had no expectations going into the album. Of course, it’s a Taylor album so you might have an idea. But with no singles before release, I was in the dark.
That said, Taylor did it again. If you really love folklore, evermore, or both, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is right up your alley. And even if you aren’t I think there’s something there for everyone to love whether you’ve been a fan for an hour or for Taylor’s entire career.
This is easily Taylor’s most vulnerable and emotional album yet. She left nothing on the table. She’s here to dispense of all the rumors, finish all the debates, and even took a jab at us swifties to a certain degree.
This album is an absolute treat. The album is a good mix of songs that make you bop your head and ones that make you break down and want to cry. And this is only my first listen through. I’m sure I’ve missed a ton of subtext and whatnot. Feel free to fill me in wherever possible! I’m ready for the tea.
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is definitely worth a listen. Now, onto this surprise second album...
NOTE: This album reaction was completed while listening to Taylor Swift - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT on Tidal via Roon (24-bit, 48kHz) with a Tidal subscription and Max quality enabled.