Swift announced the previously unknown track, and the deluxe edition that bears it, during her Melbourne show.
By Chris Willman
Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic
It turns out the track list for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” wasn’t fully revealed yet, at least not for every edition. A different deluxe edition than the previous deluxe edition was announced Friday morning, featuring not just alternate cover art but a different exclusive track: a previously unannounced song called “The Bolter.”
This CD/vinyl variant was announced by Swift during the opening night of a three-night stand in Melbourne, Australia, during the acoustic segment. The separate release was also declared on her X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts as well.
As is the custom with many of Swift’s exclusive editions and merch, the “collectors edition deluxe” CD and vinyl double-LP that sport “The Bolter” and the different cover will be going on sale for a limited period of just a few days on her website, through 2 p.m. ET on Monday. (This deadline is no guarantee it’ll go away forever; Swift fans know that limited exclusives sometimes reappear later in her webstore,,, and sometimes don’t.)
Though the webstore page for the limited release doesn’t refer to it as “the Bolter Edition,” that’s the term Swift used when she announced it to the crowd in Melbourne.
Taylor Reveals title of new song “The Bolter” from her new album to Melbourne. #taylorswift #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT #Melbourne #MelbourneTSTheErasTour #erastour pic.twitter.com/U734Vnb59P
The release also includes several bonus items with specific “Bolter” branding, including a polyester patch, bookmark, and photo cards including excerpts of the exclusive track’s lyrics.
“The Bolter” appears on this CD and vinyl release in place of the bonus track that was announced previously for all other CD and vinyl physical editions, “The Manuscript.” In either case, the bonuses come as a 17th track on top of the 16-song list that will be the standard for the digital download and streaming edition.
File Name: The Bolter 🤍
Pre-order the new edition of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT with an exclusive bonus track for a limited time on my website nowhttps://t.co/BAtr2MpPIs
📷: Beth Garrabrant pic.twitter.com/wSc9keZ1aZ
The newly revealed alternate cover art offers a view of the artist’s face in repose on linen, versus the torso-focused photo on the standard version of the album.
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