NO 

I had been mostly indifferent to Swift’s music throughout her rise to superstardom. I could pick a few of her hits that I enjoyed and a few of her songs that I thought were terrible, but all in all, no strong feelings occupied my brain.

That changed upon the release of her sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” in 2020. The albums turned away from the pop sound that Swift had established in favor of a more lush, analog style. The removal of the anthemic pop production allowed me to connect more with her themes; the tracks felt less like songs manufactured to be Top 40 hits and more like honest, heartfelt conversations with a wise friend.

I was very happy to see her going in that direction, and I felt that I better understood what people saw in her. More than anything, I hoped it was a path she would stay on.

With “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift has taken a sharp turn off the path. As she goes barreling off-road, the skid marks and smell of burning rubber left behind are repulsive to the senses.

While Swift’s best moments of lyricism throughout her discography are excellent, this album had far more contributions to her lowlight reel than her highlight reel. With cringy one-liners such as “Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto” and non-sequitur stories and topics, it felt that she was consistently trying way too hard to be poetic and pack in themes and words, rather than letting the calm simplicity speak for itself, as she did on her 2020 albums.

“I Hate It Here” contains the line “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.” What on earth is she talking about? I cannot imagine she put much thought into that one. I could write an entire article on how flat-out strange that lyric is.

All of this is on top of production and instrumentals that stick to the brain as well as a tennis ball to a brick wall. Bland melodies, flat atmosphere, forgettable vocals. I tried to imagine a quirky synonym for “boring” to use, but I don’t want to overthink it- it’s just boring.

To make matters worse, Swift unexpectedly dropped an additional 15 songs the same night as the main album dropped. I understand this was to please the fans, but 31 songs and two hours of monotone and predictable music is nothing less than excruciating.

Unfortunately, this album has quickly entered into the conversation of Swift’s worst to date. I’m going to go listen to “Folklore” to cleanse my brain.

YES 

Taylor Swift’s callbacks to past albums and personal lyrics in “The Tortured Poets Department” have cemented another stellar album under her belt.

I have always been a fan of Swift’s. Heck, the first concert I attended was Swift at Wells Fargo Arena for her “Fearless” tour. However, I don’t think I entered my true “Swiftie” era until my first year of college.

Today I use Swift’s music to connect with my coworkers, friends, and my siblings back home. So, when a new album drops, a flurry of texts assaults my phone as we all listen. Even weeks after a release, I have her work on a constant shuffle while I do mundane tasks.

“The Tortured Poets Department” release is no different. I spent my Thursday night and some of Friday’s early morning listening to her new creation. I was even graced with it 15 minutes early thanks to Apple Music.

With “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift offers a new look into the rise and fall of her past and current relationships with parallels embedded in the lyrics calling back to earlier albums.

In “Fresh Out The Slammer” a lyric containing “imaginary rings” pulls fans back to her song “Paper Rings” in the album “Lover” famously speculated to be about former boyfriend actor Joe Alwyn.

“The Alchemy” contains phrases like “touchdown” and “Where’s the trophy,” hinting at her current relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The little teasers in all of the songs act as a fun mystery for fans to solve while they listen, something we all know “Swifties” enjoy when looking back at the release of Swift’s rerecordings.

A lot of the content on the album is assumed to relate to her relationships, but a couple of tracks go beyond, speaking more to her career with songs like “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” and “Clara Bow.” They both directly relate to her perception as a public figure and the success she has achieved, which haven’t been touched on as heavily in other albums.

For someone who has religiously followed her work over the past three years, this album feels like the end of an era but the start of a new age.