On April 19, 2024, at around 2:00 am Taylor Swift would surprise her army of Swifties, releasing a 31-song “double album” that was originally supposed to contain just 16 tracks. Millions around the world had to give it a listen, immersing themselves in a journey of vulnerability, creativity, and raw human emotion. The album, which has two guest artists Post Malone and the indie rock band Florence and the Machine, has been Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single week, amassing over 1 billion streams as of this past Wednesday.
San Marcos’ own Mr. Hiracheta has been ecstatic about this album, “Amazed, floored, surprised, and unwell are all words that described my Thursday evening when Taylor Swift released her double album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. There are no skips and the album should be listened to from start to finish in one sitting to get the full effect.” Hiracheta later went on to say, regarding the album’s message, “Taylor captured relatable emotions, transcribed them into lyrics, and wrote beautiful and catchy music. This album shares the vulnerability of Folklore paired with upbeat rhythms found on Midnights, Lover, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
Despite rumors that a majority of the album would speak of Joe Alwny, her last major relationship, Swift would only mention him sparingly throughout the album, most notably in So Long, London. The most appealing part of this album to many of its fans is how brutally honest and vulnerable Swift is in many of her lyrics, along with how she made completely new songs (not so much like 1989 – Taylor’s Version) whilst sticking true to who she is both as a person and a songwriter.
Overall, The Tortured Poets Department is a good album, with its 15 bonus songs being a pleasant surprise. Although it may not take the world by complete storm, it sure has tried, breaking a Spotify record for the most streams in one day with 300 million. Taylor Swift has done it again, and with so many catchy lyrics, one cannot just “shake it off.”
