Taylor Swift Does it Again with The Tortured Poets Department

by Brooke Schultz

Taylor Swift is back with a new era. After having released her albums Midnights and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) last year, Taylor announced her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), earlier this year at the 2024 Grammy’s, and it dropped on April 19, just in time for Record Store Day the following day. Many of her fans, and a record store in Batavia called Kiss the Sky, hosted listening parties for her new album. After this release, her fans would have to agree that she never fails to disappoint.

The Surprise Release

Since Swift announced her new album and allowed fans to pre-order it on her website, she released three other variants of the album with bonus tracks: “The Black Dog,” “The Bolter,” and “The Albatross.” When her album was released, her fans anticipated her to release the bonus tracks soon after, but Swift had a trick up her sleeve.

In the days leading up to the album’s release, the track list had been leaked across social media, so to put these leaks to shame, she did something no one would expect: released a second album. Swift’s secret “double album,” The Anthology, features not only the songs on the initial album, but the four bonus tracks, including 15 additional songs, bringing the grand total to 31 on this album.

On her Instagram, Swift wrote, “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album.” She then goes on to write, “[She’d] written so much poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it with [the fans], so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology [. . .]. And now the story isn’t [hers] anymore. . . it’s [now everyone’s].”

Artists Featured on Taylor’s Album

Besides the surprise twist, Swift’s album features duets with Post Malone and Florence + The Machine. On her post on Instagram, she wrote, “[She’s] been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever.” She then went on to write, “I got to witness that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight.”

The eighth track, “Florida!!!,” features Florence + The Machine. While listening, it does have more of a Florence + The Machine quality with a touch of Swift’s for this track. Florence Welch, posted on Instagram, “Me and my ghosts we had a hell of a time @taylorswift. Honored to be in this department.”

With these artists featured in this album, it makes fans wonder what other collaborations Swift may do in the future for any albums.

Getting Over Grief and Heartbreak

A common trait in all of Swift’s songs is the vulnerability expressed through the lyrics about heartbreak and grief. This new album is Swift’s way of getting over the men that took a toll on her, like Joe Alwyn, an actor, and Matt Healy, from The 1975. It does take on many of the different styles from her previous albums, such as Folklore, Evermore, and others.

In the end, one thing remains clear from Swift’s new album is her ability to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impact on her listeners, whether they be fans or not.