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On April 19, Taylor Swift released her eleventh studio album “The Tortured Poets Department.” This album was set to be released with just sixteen songs. However, many fans caught on to small easter eggs that led them to believe that Swift might be hinting at a second surprise as she kept sneaking twos into speeches and social media posts. Fans were not quite sure what these hints were for, but many speculated that it would be a double album release. These fans were right, because just two hours after the initial release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift announced that fifteen more songs were released under the name “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.”
Of course, I stayed up all night until the album was released, and I was able to listen to the full first release and experience the announcement of the double album. It has been almost a week since I first listened to all thirty-one songs, but a lot of my initial feelings and opinions about each song have remained relatively the same. It would be difficult to effectively share my opinions on each song in a short article, but I will highlight a few of my overall opinions about the album.
The album began with the first official single for this era, “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. I originally felt that opening an album with a feature was a bold choice, but having now heard the song I believe that this was the perfect opener. It helps shift listeners from the “Midnights” era to this new era because the first lyric, “I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me” perfectly parallels the last song on “Midnights” that says, “or have they come to take me away?” Along with this, Swift’s voice melds perfectly with Post Malone’s and the song sets a specific and accurate tone for the rest of the album. It is because of this that I would have to say this is my favorite of the first sixteen songs.
After listening to the rest of the first songs that were released, I will have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. Of course, I loved the songs and was excited to have new music to listen to, but it simply just was not the genre I wanted from this album. I originally was hoping that this album would be reminiscent of the “Folklore” and “Evermore” era of her music, but it was leaning more toward the “Midnights” synthpop feeling. This was fine, but it was not my favorite. When she announced the second album, I was feeling much more optimistic.
As soon as “The Black Dog” queued up and began to play, I was entranced. I sat with my headphones on completely in awe of the perfect mix of synthpop, clean acoustic guitar, piano, and the raw poetic lyricism that was “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.” Each song became my new favorite as I progressed through all fifteen new tracks. I still cannot decide on a favorite from this release, and I could not even begin to think of picking a least favorite. Songs like “thanK you aIMee,” “Cassandra,” “Peter” and “Robin” were all reminiscent of the “Folklore” fictional love triangle story-telling that Swift used in that era. Perhaps the most reminiscent of the sounds of this era was “The Albatross.”
Overall, I would have to say that the double album release was the most thrilling part of this experience for me as I personally prefer the sounds and imagery that the second release portrays. I think the initial sixteen songs are beautiful and unique in their own way, but those are the ones Swift released for her fans that love her albums that lean toward the pop genre. While the other fifteen songs seem to be for those who hoped to get to experience the feelings and emotions they felt when “Folklore” and “Evermore” were released, much like I wanted to. These fifteen songs were more memorable for me than the original sixteen. Either way, I am grateful to have new music from Swift and along with many other fans. I am excited to see how these thirty-one new songs will affect her tour and what is to come as she continues to reclaim her music.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
Dakota Student
The student news site of University of North Dakota
