Taylor Swift from the feature photoshoot for “THE TORTURED POETS SOCIETY” (Courtesy of Beth Garrabrant)
Taylor Swift’s eleventh studio album, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” is her most honest and gut-punching record yet, but a tired production from Jack Antonoff stops it from achieving greatness.
Swift and producer Antonoff first partnered in 2013 on the track “Sweeter Than Fiction.” Jack’s stripped-back style allowed songs like “I Wish You Would” and “Getaway Car” to stand out in pop music, a genre known for its bubbly extravagance. Swift’s “1989” and “Reputation” were fresh and clean-cut records, opposite of albums like Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.”
Now, ten years after the initial release of “1989,” Swift’s latest record mixes a drab production style with dictionary-required lyrics. As a result, Swift’s final product feels a little stale, yet retains the emotional ‘narcotics’ many gravitate towards.
Swift had to fight an uphill battle with this record considering her popularity and the pressure to live up to recent albums: “folklore,” “evermore” and “Midnights.” Naturally, the solution would appear to be bringing in the same team, but with thirty-one new songs on this record, it becomes clear that it’s time for Swift to switch things up. There is nothing overtly wrong with Antonoff’s production, but we’ve grown accustomed to his style over the years. Its tracks like “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” “loml” and “The Alchemy” that lack innovation. Swift is known for her ability to change and adapt and she might want to consider changing collaborators for her next project.
The album’s color scheme, ranging from sepia to dark grey, mirrors the album’s flatness. Many songs bleed into each other and with little to distinguish them production-wise, it’s up to Swift’s songwriting to carry most of these songs.
University of Colorado Boulder Taylor Swift Club member Julia Abboud shared her feelings on Swift’s lyricism throughout the album.
“At first listen, the album can be deceptively similar sounding overall, however, the unique storylines and stylization make it catchy and the messages more profound,” Abboud said.
To be fair, Swift does a decent job of portraying the heartbreak, grief and anger associated with a breakup. But we’ve heard breakup albums from her before and many of the lyrics fail to produce something that doesn’t already exist in her previous work. In her longest album, she fails to deliver one of her iconic bridges in favor of less structured diaristic honesty.
However, the album does include some highlights. Some of the most unique tracks on this album highlight Swift’s experience as the juggernaut pop star we know her as today. The playful sarcasm of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” and the literary genius of “The Prophecy” prove that Swift still has it.
CU Boulder sophomore India Malkan claims the album is “very raw and deep” and expresses that the new album shows “a whole new side of Taylor that’s usually more conserved.”
“The Black Dog,” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” will go down as Swift classics and “So Long, London” earns its keep amongst fellow iconic track fives, but it’s “But Daddy I Love Him” that steals the show. A career highlight, Swift issues a response to the public’s constant berating and disapproval of her romantic partners. Swift’s relationship with The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy broke the internet and her best songs do the same. In the chorus, Swift playfully sings, “I’m havin’ his baby, no I’m not, but you should see your faces.” Yearning for someone out of reach, pushing back against a narrative, ridiculous yet clever scream-worthy lyrics; this track is so quintessentially Taylor in the best way.
Swift follows up the love-drunk high of “But Daddy I Love Him” with “Fresh Out the Slammer” and “Guilty as Sin?”, both solid and even strong at points. However, even lyrically, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” has some faults, including out-of-place references. Throughout the album, Swift references Charlie Puth, Lucy Dacus, Grand Theft Auto, Aristotle and even her own name. Many are drawn to Swift’s ability to find the perfect balance between autobiographical detail and relatability, but it seems on this record that Swift has leaned a little too far in the former direction. This is just a small complaint in Swift’s writing which, for the most part, remains artful, heartfelt and undeniably relatable.
After ten albums, Swift’s decision to drop thirty-one new songs only a year and a half after “Midnights” comes with pitfalls. There are lyrics, production choices and entire songs that need polishing.
Swift is at her best in the back half of the album, an “anthology” released two hours later than the first half of the album. Predominantly produced by Aaron Desner, tracks like “I Hate It Here” and “The Manuscript,” allow Swift to utilize her skills without trying to puzzle-piece her writing to fit in with the rest of the album. Her collaborations with Post Malone and Florence Welch are fine, but nowhere close in quality to “Nothing New,” her 2021 collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers.
The members of CU Boulder’s Taylor Swift Club held a release party where student fans echoed both their love for the album as well, as their wishes for something fresher rather than more of the same.
Overall, this album proves that Swift’s songwriting can carry even the blandest of backtracks. “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” is good and works as an up-to-standard member of Taylor’s discography. Still, more time, tweaking and methodology could have made this album great.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Rhett Kaya at rhett.kaya@colorado.edu.
