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By Grace Koennecke, Reviews Editor and Copy Editor

[Taylor Swift; 2024]

Rating: 6/10

Key Tracks: “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)”, “Down Bad”, “Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)”, “Clara Bow”

In a little over a week, Taylor Swift has been a name music critics have either lamented or praised. From begging her to cut ties with long-time producer Jack Antonoff to fans decoding all of her past and present relationships over the last six years, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology is an album that intrigues, but also questions whether the singer has stretched herself too thin.

As a certified Swiftie myself, I’m of the opinion that anything she makes is good, even if it is 31 tracks long. However, I’ve let this album sit with me, and while it’s some of Swift’s best lyrics since 2020’s folklore and evermore, it’s not her best sonically. A lot of this does fall onto Antonoff’s shoulders, as you can hear his influence in the first 16 tracks of the album. Heavy synths, rushed choruses, and weird dips in pitch cause this half to suffer greatly, particularly on songs like “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”. It also feels like this once dynamic duo is repurposing many of Antonoff’s other collaborators, such as Lorde and The 1975, which is extremely evident on “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”.

Read more: Album Review: Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS (spilled)

Luckily, Aaron Dessner, Swift’s newest collaborator since her 2020 shift to indie-pop, saves this record from being worse than Lover and Midnights. Dessner and Swift’s songwriting peaks to even greater heights than four years ago, with some of my favorite tracks being in the latter half of the album. Some honorable mentions by far go to “So High School”, a song acting as an Americana-esque serenade to tight-end Travis Kelce, and “Peter”, which juxtaposes Swift’s happiness with Kelce with her difficulties with former long-time boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

Yet, the key tracks on this album are why I argue Swift should be considered as one of our generation’s best storytellers, even if Courtney Love doesn’t think so. The opening track, “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)”, is hauntingly beautiful, and a possible mirroring of The 1975’s “Heart Out”. “I love you, it’s ruining my life” may be extremely dramatic, but it’s also a line that hits like a sucker punch, as Swift sings of her alleged two-week fling with Matty Healy. 

What Swift does so well with this opening is describe her own insanity and delusion through simple lyricism. Alluding to alcoholism, depression, and infidelity, this is the most personal she has been since arguably reputation. While Swift isn’t obligated to open up to fans this personally, this song also proves her willingness to wear her heart on her sleeve, an element of her songwriting not many can emulate. Post Malone may seem like a random collaborator to have on such a depressing song, but his raspy vocals and call-and-response with Swift surprisingly works, and their chemistry is noteworthy because of how smoothly he slides into this track. 

“Down Bad” is another song that does have some lyrics that made me think, “Really, Taylor?”, but its catchy synth beat, dark production, and twinkly xylophone transports listeners into Swift’s feelings of isolation. “Down bad, waking up in blood / Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up / F*ck it if I can’t have us / I might just not get up” genuinely brought a tear to my eye, as the singer here is so vulnerable in her tone that you can’t help but also feel just as isolated.

In terms of experimentation, we only see Swift truly break out of her comfortable bubble on “Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)”. Let’s be honest, Florence Welch completely out-sings Swift, while also bringing life to Swift’s storyline of a criminal escaping to Florida to rebrand herself after a nasty breakup. Sonically, this song sounds much like a track straight from the 2009’s Lungs, and Welch’s angelic vocals and harmonies are so captivating, one would think it’s her song, not Swift’s. It is definitely the climax of the first half of the album, with amazing lines like, “Your home’s really only the town you’re just a guest in” and “I’ve got some regrets, I’ll bury them in Florida / Tell me I’m despicable, say it’s unforgivable / At least the dolls are beautiful, f*ck me up Florida”.

Lastly, Swift sounds the most like her pre-Antonoff self with “Clara Bow”, even if he did help produce it. Paying homage to the female trailblazers who have come before her, such as silent film star Clara Bow and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, this is one of the most wholesome moments on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Similar in style to Speak Now’s “Long Live”, the singer here expresses how she’s aware that she will not always be as famous or successful as she is now, and eventually someone will replace her.

The song is honestly quite refreshing, and proves the singer is not a total narcissist like many critics assume. With this track, I feel like a proud Swiftie, and it was another song that truly made me realize how important Swift’s legacy has been on so many women in my lifetime, as well as ones that have come after me. If the whole album felt as nostalgic and emotional as this song, I think it would be a near 10 for me.

With many decent standouts on this album, what truly irked me was Swift’s heavy obsession and repetitiveness in theme with her relationships. It’s totally valid in my opinion to sing about heartbreak, longing, and deceit, but for someone like Swift, it’s left a dark stain on this album in particular. There’s no sign of growth, nor creativity, and it’s frustrating to see the singer limit herself on such a long project. 

Also, Matty Healy does not deserve as many songs dedicated to him as he does, and his shadow lingers in such an ugly light throughout that it’s almost unbearable to listen to the songs about him. Nor does Joe Alwyn or even Travis Kelce. As someone who adores Swift for her stories about girlhood, womanhood, and adversity, I’d rather she write about those themes than how messy her love life was over the last six years. 

Taylor Swift is simply just not experimenting as much as she used to. She’s not making albums equivalent to her peers, such as Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, and this album is proof that the singer needs to be challenged again. 

Overall, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology is not Swift’s worst album, but it is a major halt in her career. Sometimes less is more, and the singer has emphasized she may need a break from touring and constantly making music to return to her roots. I will always love Taylor Swift, but please girl, take a break.

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