There’s no disputing that Taylor Swift is the biggest artist in the world. Her eleventh studio album “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” comes off the back of her record breaking tour “The Eras Tour” which has somehow propelled her career even further into stardom. As a Swiftie myself I truly wanted to love this record with my whole entire being, but I just didn’t. As an entire (two?) body (bodies) of work, it feels like a recycled formula that is found between “Midnights” and “Evermore” where she’s trying to create headlines with her lyrics, and make viral moments that feel forced. With a combined tracklisting of 31 new songs, I ask the question – is that too many songs? There is a lack of cohesion that makes a lot of these songs feel like 1 giant song instead of individual moments. Whereas on Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” there was a distinct journey she was taking you on with her 27 songs that were made up of full-length tracks and interludes. 

Majority of the songs on “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” feel flat, and fall into “mid” territory where they aren’t bad, but they aren’t groundbreaking or anything different than what we’ve heard from her over the past couple of years. It’s very intended for her hardcore fans who love the drama of her writing. But, the great songs on the album are GREAT (!!). Within those songs there is brilliance in her songwriting, and hooks that will have fans claiming new favourite songs in her massive discography. As a body of work it could have just been refined to impact listeners in a more impactful way. It feels too lengthy to invest a second listen, and instead you will find yourself saving your handful of favourite songs and listening to them over and over again.  Taylor is in a very interesting point in her career where she doesn’t need to do another album like “Lover”, “1989” or “Reputation” ever again. She can continue to release whatever she wants and it will go number 1 and be adored, and that is what this album proves. Is it her best album? No. Is it her worst album? No. In current fandom culture there is a pressure to love everything an artist does, but the reality is you don’t need to, and it’s actually normal to not love everything someone does. So is it okay if this record doesn’t compell you the way “Midnights”, “Folklore” or “1989” did? Yes!

So anyways, what songs are definitely worth listening to from “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”. Well, let me tell you;

• The Tortured Poets Department – This should’ve been the opening song of the record. It feels like the perfect scene-setter for the album, and has some great lyrics and evokes cinematic visuals. 
• Down Bad – This feels like the perfect representation of where Taylor is at as an artist and writer.   Feels very “Midnights” coded. 
• But Daddy I Love Him – We all know someone who this song will become their entire new personality trait. 
• Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine) – Why are more people not talking about this song? This feels like one of the clear standouts on the record, and hearing Florence and Taylor’s vocals together makes me very happy. 
• I Can Do It With A Broken Heart – Now, here we go! This is the Taylor Swift we were all hoping and waiting for. Sonically somewhere between “Mastermind” and “Bejeweled”, this song will have you hitting replay over and over again.
• The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived – This is a song that will hit anyone that has dealt with a guttural heartbreak deep in the chest. 
• Clara Bow – A genuinely GREAT song. And the lyric “You look like Taylor SwiftIn this light, we’re lovin’ it. You’ve got edge, she never did. The future’s bright, dazzling” is SO smart. 
• The Black Dog – This song might have my favourite production of the whole album. Perfect moments of light and shade. 
• imgonnagetyouback – This is another song that feels like a “Midnights” sibling, and has one of the catchiest and underrated hooks. 
• So High School – I’m ready for the cultural resurgence of American Pie because of this song. 
• I Hate It Here – “My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this. I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid” is a wild lyric. But I love this song. 
• The Bolter – This song feels like a sibling to “Getaway Car” and “Cordelia Street”. It’s one of the albums biggest growers.