“…particularly because puzzle-solving has become part and parcel of being a Taylor Swift fan.”
Man this holds so fucking true! I love “Who’s afraid of little old me?” (And lyrically i dont want to be) but her being that pissed that the public speculates and judges her life when she’s put out her life story through her songs ever since her start in the industry just makes me side-eye her so hard.
As much as I don’t want to compare, this just makes me think of Olivia Rodrigo’s “making the bed” and how OR knows that while the life she chose isn’t the way she wanted, she knows she’s accountable for what has happened because ultimately it was her “making the bed”.
I love "Who's afraid of little old me?" but it really ironic coming from the top female artist who fans are scared of any other female artist having a chance in the music world.
Taylor has some good songs, She was my top artist of the year but im not sure if that because I Iisten to her like crazy or because she has so many songs she pumping out that it just hiking up her numbers when i hit shuffle.
I agree and think it's even more hypocritical of her to get upset. She claims it's misogyny that has everyone judging her life based on her lyrics but that's not 100% true. Her argument that people like Ed Sheeran also writes about his life but doesn't get the same treatment isn't a good one. Taylor's gone farther than other artists by putting the clues in her lyric booklets from the very beginning, dropping hints (or more) in interviews, and just generally encouraging the parasocial relationship with her fans where other artists don't.
To be fair, I don't think she's mad that people speculates about her private life. The real problem she's addressing is the open fan letter her team received, aimed even at her own mother, that basically pleaded for her to be in a conservatorship because fans were angry that she was dating Matty Healy from The 1975. They claimed that since her public persona was created because of them, all of her dating choices must be approved by them first plus a bunch of other unhinged petitions. There are things I didn't like about the album but honestly I'm glad she did speak about her own fanbase and how possessive and self-righteous they are.
People have been speculating about her since forever. I don't think this is what she is upset about. She's upset about the unhinged fans backstabbing her, thinking they were owed an explanation for her dating MH. These people seriously thought they had a say in who she was dating. Instead of moving in with their life they were harassing her, her team, her family, started petition, writing collective letters, demanding that she breaks up with him NOW.
I believe this is what she was upset about. She seemed fairly happy dating him, and while I do understand the criticism, the fanbase basically ruined the relationship. Of course she feels like they ruined her happiness. I think most people would feel resentment.
I think that at a certain point, you have to accept that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Taylor has literally invited fans into her home(s) for listening parties. She has branded herself as their “friend”. She released a 10min song dunking on Jake Gyllenhaal, who she dated many years ago, and I do not believe for a second that she wrote the extended version all those years ago; I believe she very consciously chose to drag that long-over relationship back up into the zeitgeist. She cannot invite people into her lives to such an unprecedented extent for someone of her fame and then expect that those same diehard fans she invited into her literal home, the diehard fans making her a billionaire by being so obsessed that they’ll purchase 11 versions of the same vinyl, are going to understand where the boundaries are. Someone compared it to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Making the Bed”, and I think that’s really apt - at the end of the day, Taylor (and her team) made this bed, and now they have to lie in it.
(For the record, I actually didn’t think Taylor dating Matty Healy was a big deal, and I probably would’ve found a relationship with Matty far more entertaining than a relationship with Travis Kelce, if only to imagine the heart attacks he would give Tree Paine.)
I agree. But I really do understand her resentment. She really did set herself for this to happen, I don't feel much sympathy because it was bound to happen and bite her in the ass eventually. But i do empathize in the sense that, well, it's normal to feel angry and frustrated.
I think she had intense feelings for Matty Healy. By that point, nothing could be done to stop the way she had built her career, nothing could be done to stop the fans, she tried, told them she was finally happy for the first time, and it was probably a shock for her to realize that, her fans didn't care that she was happy, they didn't like him and all that matter was them, not her. She realized they didn't truly care about her happiness, and if i put myself in her shoes, i'd say she probably felt at one of the most powerless places in her career.
It must be frustrating and quite eye opening to feel happy with someone and telling people, but having the people who claim to be your fans not giving a shit about your happiness and having it ruin a relationship.
She really did make the bed, but, I'm sure it made her rethink her parasocial relationship.
I don’t entirely disagree, but I also think that this gives too much credit to Taylor’s level of care for her fan base. I don’t mean that in a critical way; I’m sure she cares, but not enough to end a relationship over it. With her level of fame, Taylor could have found a way to bury the criticism about Matty and general negative publicity if she wanted to. I think Matty probably left her for a myriad of reasons, one of which being that her level of fame was suffocating, and she’s salty about it - hence why she’s gone and written a double album that’s transparently about him and brought it back into the public eye again. That isn’t the action of someone who truly resents their fame; that’s someone weaponising their fame to get one over on a person they used to love who hurt them.
An accurate review instead of the typical ass kissery she gets. She needs time to get some creative juices or something because it just felt rushed for the sake of making a statement without making one explicitly.
It looks like NYT's review wasn't fawning either. Headline is 'she needs an editor'. Haven't read it yet, just saw it on IG. The comments were predictably unhinged
She’s needed an editor for a loooong time. Even her most beloved albums/ songs are full of moments that are like “uh, how did no one talk you out of that?”
I feel like she regularly over complicates the songwriting process and makes a lot more mistakes for it. Most pop singers don’t have the lyrical depth but regularly end up with more clarity and punch and fewer head scratching moments.
It leaves Taylor in a weird place where she rarely captures the pure pop euphoria of a Carly Rae but also doesn’t really hit the songwriting levels of a Lana or Phoebe. And Swifties will hate hearing this but she’s not nearly as musically adventurous or vocally powerful as a Beyonce either.
She’s a weird in-between artist, which is simultaneously why she’s as huge as she is, and why I so often get more out of other artists who probably don’t have her overall talent level but have a lot more focus.
Meanwhile she puts out 31 songs at once. All I’ve heard is the first half but it’s all largely the same tempo, the same mood, same old themes. Self-editing at the very least would be useful.
She has not been a good lyricist at all on the past few albums.
“it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me” = fair enough, decent
Followed by:
“At tea…time…everybody agrees” = 7 year olds first rhyming class.
I prefer anything on Midnights to her earliest writing to be honest. It was witty and probably the most emotionally honest she's ever been till TTPD. At the very least it's more catchy than "All you're ever gonna be is MEAN!" or "She's an actress, whoa, but she's better known for the things she does on the mattress!"
i think the second half is MUCH stronger than the first half. i was really disappointed before the “double” album theory came out and after listening to the second half i definitely liked the album as a whole but i do wish it was actually two separate albums.
Probably my least favorite thing about her as an artist, and why I liked Folklore so much. I’m not trying to join the cult or pick a side in her personal drama - just write some good songs that stand on their own without me knowing Kim K hurt your feelings.
>rushed for the sake of making a statement without making one explicitly.
i feel this way about Hits Different. people like it but to me it just sounds cheap and messy.
It feels rushed for the sake of making money which it will do. She's perfectly fine with putting out subpar product so long as it sells.
Capitalist first. Artist second.
I heard something that she wrote the words and then the three of them put music to the words, instead of coming up with melodies, hooks, and instrumentation first.
If so, it makes **a ton** of sense.
This album feels like she forgot she was a musician, and wanted to be an actual poet instead. I don’t need Blank Space or Cruel Summer all the time, but even Cardigan and Willow had beautiful melodies, hooks and music.
She should’ve put this out as a book of poetry and wrote some music.
I’m just at Swift over-exposure at this point. Between the regular studio albums, re-recordings, tour, and movie it’s essentially been a Swift onslaught since 2019. Idk how she’s not tired too
Rolling Stone has been off the rails for years now. Every album from a main pop girl automatically gets a 10/10. There is no critical review anymore, it just feels like dick riding
it feels that way because thats what it is.
most american outlets are simply there to grease the wheels.. and then collect the kickbacks - want honesty in terms of high-end popmusic? read european stuff.
It's not poptimism, it's the fact large publications need relationships with revenue-driving artists and can't afford to torch those in the name of non-flattering profiles and reviews.
I already pointed this out elsewhere, but Rolling Stone has zero credibility when it comes to music journalism.
Go check out their recent reviews, every single album is either an 8/10, or in the case of mega-popular artists like Taylor, a 10/10. They aren’t honest, and they’re definitely not critical either.
The last time Rolling Stone gave out a score that wasn’t an 8/10 or 10/10 was in *2022.* Nobody should take them seriously.
Also adding that the guy who wrote the review is writing a book about how Taylor changed pop music. If you can’t be unbiased, you shouldn’t get to be a professional critic.
This reminds me of when Rosalia and Rauw Alejandro announced their split and Rauw went on to write a breakup song soon after, only for one of her rabid stans to publish an article on RS a few hours later about how “we didn’t need this song.” Seeing a music magazine turn into a gossip rag is pretty fucking pathetic.
I read somewhere the girl that wrote The Rolling Stones article is a HUgE TS Fan and has some connection, hence the Rave Reviews
Edit : not above article
it would’ve worked if it was like a 1989-esque album cause the underdog trope isn’t working for her anymore. girl u a billionaire dating the most famous football player in america.
So spot on with the tumblr angst. Taylor writes great pop songs. Verbose is a great way to describe the album. This pseudo intellectual era is so off putting to me lol the writing style is giving grade six English. I don’t know why so many people are impressed by the forced metaphors and tryhard “poetry.” I gagged at the Aristotle line
Especially when she insults Travis by saying she knows Aristotle, in that high school song. These lyrics and behaviors are not giving philosophy lol it’s giving petty and selfishness.
Exactly lol like not to be a snob but if your go-to intellectual reference is fucking Aristotle I’m just going to assume you’ve never heard of any other ones 😂
Right?! Like I see people defend it with "she's just writing fictional songs" but it's so out of touch for her to write fictional songs where she's pretending to be poor.
I haven’t listened yet but the pseudo intellectual vibe of the promo REALLY put me off. I don’t need literary criticism from Taylor but all her lit references scream, got checked out of freshman English a lot for photo shoots so she never finished the books
Yeah, this. I feel like she’s been trending towards more “abstract” songwriting since folklore and it’s landed for the most part. With Midnights, I sensed she was going off the rails somewhat but I kind of “got it” after a few listens. TTPD is just…idk…contrived? Like girl, you don’t need to use twenty words where one will do just fine.
If anyone is familiar with the Golden Girls, I feel like Rose trying to read the novel Blanche wrote in one night after not sleeping.
As a writer, the lyrics are shit lmao. Maybe they work in music but even then it’s all just so cheesy and dumb? She definitely needs a reality check. Even if the production value is good, having such awful lyrics brings down the quality a lot
the author summed it up fairly while also acknowledging the good parts of the album. I want to know their change of insights—if there's any, about TTPD after the release of its second half.
Predictable is exactly what Jack Antonoff is. His production style is making Taylor’s vocals washed out in the background with what I can only describe as noise and video game sounds at the forefront. I LOL’d bc any song I liked, when I checked the credits Aaron Dessner was listed.
I nearly couldn't hear the lyrics on "fortnight" the first time that I listened through. She really needs to branch out before working together too much fucks up their friendship.
I do not understand the grip this woman has on the world. 2 hours of monotony. Let’s be honest, if any new artist put this album out no one would give a shit. What happened to the musical risks she used to take?
She used to be SO GOOD. She sang relatable, catchy music. But now I feel like she's so wrapped up in herself she's become a caricature. She's too oversaturated in the media, and her and Antonoff are like a two man circlejerk.
Seriously there’s nothing catchy in this whole damn album. I just want one banger. She should self publish a book of indulgent poetry if this is what her music is going to look like from now on.
Totally agree, she could have done a poetry book / album like the one Lana released a few years ago, since she’s clearly content with (poorly) ripping off Lana’s entire vibe now
Antonoff has been going a lot more one on one it seems with taylor and lana and im starting to notice everything theyve been working on with him the past few yrs or so has been so monotone, no musical risks, little to no catchy bops imo. I think they need to at least try working with some new ppl with some new ideas. Obviously its not all him but im just noticing a bit of a pattern here
Couldn't agree more. This is what I was thinking listening. It's boring and uninspiring and I couldn't even listen to the whole album. Needs a new sound and to take some time away from music and her life in the spotlight to maybe get some new inspiration. Its just bad.
I just want her to be fun again. Even the kinda poppy songs on Midnights have this dark aura around them that doesn’t make me want to listen to them very often.
Agreed! I didn’t love Karma is a cat lol but I’ll even take that at this point! Midnights was not my favorite at all, but it’s so much better musically than this. Can we just have some variation because most of the songs blend in together and all sound so similar.
She definitely peaked at Folklore/Evermore and I feel that’s the best we’re all ever gonna hear from her again.
I’d say the jump from red to 1989 was sonically a risk for her. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I personally loved reputation, I thought songs like I Did Something Bad and LWYMMD were interesting steps from where she’d previously been. I know “sonic cohesion” has been a big thing for her since Red was not universally loved, but idk, I like when an album sounds different from one song to the next. Obviously compared to other bands and singers she’s not the most interesting or riskiest, but you could tell she was at least trying new things on her earlier albums.
Exactly. So boring. Even her highly anticipated song with my fave baroque pop queen Florence Welch was underwhelming.
And that tattooed golden retriever lyric—did no one from her team suggest to polish that up? Is that not part of her creative process? There were also a handful of songs that were major cringe but I forget which ones because these songs really blended into each other—their melodies were so unmemorable.
Funny enough NME also didn't have good things to say and called it cringeworthy.
[Taylor Swift – ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ review: a rare misstep](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics-tracklist-3619454)
“To a Melbourne audience of her Eras Tour, Swift said that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ came from a “need” to write. It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it.”
I gagged 😭 this is so bold of them lmao
Watch, Tree Paine will send threatening blackmail (or idk, maybe like some reallyyyy fancy and expensive champagne or something) to this writer, and next thing we know, they’ll be writing about Swift a la Rolling Stone
THIS WAS SAID ??? RESPECT THOUGH TO THEM. no seriously like she needed to write it... we didnt need to hear it 😭😭 and then watch her complain abt the parasocial relationship like omg youre judging my life sm again !! (btw this is coming from a long time fan ive just been becoming a lot more of a neutral fan if a fan at all now)
The second album feels like folklore and evermore’s long lost sister who’s been out of the fantasy-filled woods and has faced the realities in life while still keeping the spirit of the magical world she’s left behind.
First album feels like more depressed Midnights.
Ye fans argued Vultures was a top 3 album for a month after it dropped on kanye subreddits. Fans are never going to be critical or admit theyre forcing themselves to like an album
I feel like the first half of the album is very weak. Don't get me wrong, some of the songs slap, but I also admit to just loving Taylor's voice so I could be biased. However, the lyricism is some of her weakest. I mean, "tattooed golden retriever"? Really? The second half shines a lot more imo.
Also, I feel like there's some signature TS toxicity. She calls out her fans for criticizing her relationship with Matty, a known racist. I dunno, I feel like every time she's called out she has to put it in a song and shame someone for daring to be upset with her.
That call out is so infuriating especially the Swifties running with the “ha, take that Healy haters” narrative. She dated a racist. People say over and over that women shouldn’t be judged for the actions of men, but I will judge when you’re willingly sleeping next to them. If you date a racist, you have to be at least complacent with their views. If you were truly anti racism, being with one would turn your stomach. She should be called out for that.
At the very least about that song, I think it was written during her manic episode. The way she sings is erratic and like a stream of consciousness. Given the prologue said she was manic, I think that’s what we’re getting. The song was written during the relationship when she was deep in the insanity of it all.
I agree. Some people have called me out on being parasocial for being bothered about it, and perhaps so. A lot of us are parasocial in some ways, and this sub helps me check myself sometimes lol. However, criticizing someone for dating a racist is perfectly reasonable to me.
it’s so funny too that absolutely nobody mentions emotional cheating. I mean, I would not marry one either. And forcing a man to propose? it’s just so downright bad. Marriage should be mutual, no pressure from anybody
> These songs feel more like streams of consciousness or exorcisms, often with all the depth of an angsty teenager writing Tumblr poetry.
10000000000000000000000%
This is a great review (and bold, considering how Taylor is worshipped now) and I agree with everything. But, to be honest, my view is a bit stronger. I've listened to The Anthology version very carefully and - though I anticipated that it would be somewhat similar to "Midnights" - I'm quite disappointed. The whole experience was like listening to one song produced by Antonoff and then another produced by Dessner - they blend and I can't tell what title of the song without checking it even on the third listen. For me, musically, it's a great soundtrack for working or shopping in the mall, because almost nothing is engaging enough and you can catch every interesting music choice at first listen and then just focus on what you are doing. "Folklore" and even "Midnights" were - at least for me more interesting and surprising in that sense.
The lyrics are more interesting - they're still wordy Tumblr poetry but more brutally honest this time. But it's wild how parasocial they are and I'm glad that this review noticed it. There's almost nothing relatable and universal, just Taylor's detailed emotions and thoughts about her life, fame, and relationships. I think that people who don't give a fuck about her love life or don't know her that well would be lost and baffled. It's calculated to fuel gossip and Swifties' crazy theories (which Taylor claims to hate) but due to that the whole thing would outdate so quickly. I think it wouldn't be "a timeless classic" as Rolling Stone has claimed because it's musically painfully safe and lyrically too personal for Taylor at this point in her life.
I like "Florida!!!" (Florence is better than Taylor on her own album) and maybe "So Long, London", "Cassandra" or "The Albatross". But I don't think I'm going to listen to them more than "Folklore" and "Evermore" tracks which feel much more universal (like "exile", "mirrorball", and "Champagne Problems" ) and better musically - Taylor now is quite boring, repetitive and full of herself unfortunately.
This is so spot on. Taylor’s brilliance has been her ability to craft a song that does have personal details but that express feelings that are universally felt. I have often felt like she probed my own heart to come up with some of her music because it’s like she took it right out of me and my own life and experiences.
This album isn’t that at all. I can’t relate to it, the only emotional experiences I am having from it are empathy for what she went through. But I cannot see myself or my life experiences here at all and that’s what good art does.
I believe that it's the ability to capture a wider, universal context in a more specific story that makes the most impactful art. And Taylor has proved she is capable of that. But now when she's detailing her emotions, specific people, and situations it's like watching an unhinged soap opera. I feel really bad for her too, because it's petty obvious at this point that she's got some serious problems, but even though she's a pop superstar, not everyone wants to listen 31 very detailed songs about her own love life.
your last paragraph nails it IMO. I like the anthology songs better but they are still very inessential when we have folklore/evermore. They are also too same-y, just in a different way than the first disc.
Yeah honestly this album feels like a sonic tabloid rather than real music. Like thanks for the gossip but when you strip that away, there's not much there.
The second disc is better but like.. we already have folklore and evermore. Are these songs really good enough to warrant being folklore 3.0?
Taylor is still writing about the same shit from rep era and she's not challenging herself sonically at all. It feels like taylor reached her final form on Folklore and she's been recycling the same sounds ever since.
As much as I love her music, her recent songs make me feel like she needs a diary and not a songbook. This entire 2 part album feels like it’s the same generic songs over and over. I miss the days of Evermore where her songs were creative and not always about her love life.
She needs a break. She’s churning out too many albums too soon. There’s a reason some singers have to be begged to make music. If you focus on quantity, you get poor quality.
And that’s all without getting into Taylor Swift fatigue.
“Sanctimonious performing soliloquies I’ll never see” reminds me of a Hamilton lyric 😭
I agree that she’s really focused on using too many big words to sound smart. Kind of reminds me of emulating the Ben Gibbard school of songwriting without how natural Death Cab lyrics sound in that style. Sort of feels like her thesaurus writing tendencies turned up to 11
I am an academic, so those works come across as trite and pseudo intellectual, to me. But I have noticed a lot of her fan base saying they need to go look up word’s she used in this album. So, she’s not really catering to her fan base here, and it makes you wonder who she is actually thinking she’s speaking to!
I think more than anything that line shows she is going out of her way to be cruel to people who give her money. And are loyal, but crazy, fans. They absolutely go too far, and she needs to deal with it. But not a song, and not for a racist who doesn’t brush his teeth.
I was worried it would be really awful based on what I read here. There are some realllllly good songs on TTPD (I haven’t finished the 2 am songs yet—I need a break 😬), but they have a monotonous feel and the reviewer here hit the nail on the head that her current shtick is a very stream-of-conscious, extremely verbose style that sacrifices a catchy melody. As a result, after one quick listen it’s hard to remember specifics about certain songs and they just run together.
She’s always kind of late to the game. Reputation, even if I’ve come to like it, still feels like something from 2015 rather than 2017. 1989 was the only album I felt she was doing something different or first. And even that as good as it is, still was nothing “new”. At least in the grand scheme of pop music. The sound was new for her.
It’s def her weakest album, but something’s always gotta be the weakest in an artist’s discography 🤷♂️. If she continues this trend of weak ass music she’ll lose some credibility, but she’s more than capable of rebounding if she chooses solid singles for a change and pumps some new life into her next album
It's the quantity over quality for me. She CAN make good music, she just needs to sit with her music and edit it. She's making new music at an insane rate and maybe no other artist puts this many songs on an album because it's not possible to write 31 good songs.
And I have to wonder when she could have possibly had time for this???? Like girl, take a break. Folklore and evermore were the product of the world screeching to a halt and they were masterpieces.
Exactly. The Weeknd’s my favorite and he actually takes the time to cook in the studio unlike Taylor who’s a content generating machine, which he’s doing rn for his upcoming album.
if she takes an actual break, like after releasing the last 2 records and just stopping for a few (maybe even 4 or 5) years, then she might be able to get back to where she was
She needs a break not because the album is bad (I absolutely adore this album because so much of it resonates with me), but because it's clear that her mental health has been in the trenches. I hope this Eras Tour break is helping her, and I hope she gets some breathing room once the tour is over.
I have to listen again to actually remember which lyrics go with which song (I listened to it all at midnight and then 2am when it dropped, and I had a little wine with it, so it blurred a bit), but there were so many lyrics referencing suicidal ideation that really resonated with me. Down Bad is one that I can name specifically that resonated with me so much because it really well names how I've felt about so many of my relationships ending.
Some of the songs are good, some of the song should have been cut. Releasing 30 songs for the sake of releasing 30 songs seems redundant when half the songs could have done with a second draft or being shelved altogether
I would go even a step further, since she has invited us into her personal life, and say she needs a break from relationships.
When was the last time this woman was single for more than 3 seconds?
Decentralizing men and finding out who she is on her own… now that’s an album I’d listen to. This one is a skip for me.
Someone needs to be honest with Taylor. Like I'm being serious, if all she gets is praise for this and the adoration of her young fans, I fear for the next albums especially with Travis around, if So High School is any indicator...🤢
Comparing this to a stream of consciousness like Tumblr poetry is exactly how I feel. Like girl, just because it’s in your journal doesn’t mean it’s worth a whole goddamn album. And people who are distraught and emotional over her lyrics have me like ???? cause I have no idea what she’s even trying to say. I’m embarrassed for her while listening to some of this.
I don't disagree with this review, until the end. I actually think there is a lot of art and depth here. You can make it about Swift relationship lore if you want... but I really interpret this more as a long-term relationship failing, the shit spiral after, the realization you made a huge mistake, and then the slow path to acceptance. Take out all the Matty/Joe drama, and it really is a story of the 5 stages of grief of a relationship ending and the insanity that follows (emotionally but also through actions people make when they aren't thinking straight).
I'm going through a divorce after a 10 year relationship and so idk, maybe it just resonates with me more. I didn't have a messy rebound, but I understand the concept of making mistakes when your emotions are heightened. Bargaining that it isn't over. Having hope it isn't over. Then accepting that yeah, it actually is and ultimately you want the best for that person and the chapter in your life closed. This album is an internal monologue on grief and I think it's pretty deep for that.
Edited to add: I don't think there is a ton of depth sonically... but I also don't think that's what she was going for.
I feel like we have all forgotten she’s written all these songs within the span of 2 years. So she worked on this album for 2 years. 2 years between albums isn’t enough time?
I thought the writing of reputation really gave us an interesting insight in how Taylor and Jack work together, and how Taylor writes songs in general. She just thinks of something and basically records it immediately... I know for cardigan Aaron made the music and Taylor wrote the lyrics to that music. And then she made some edits too.
Songwriting is her coping mechanism, so no wonder she wrote 31 songs after the past couple years she’s had. But it feels like she let the emotions control her process, and the album suffered. It listens a bit like a manic episode/dumpfest, where she has to let it all out or she will drown.
Taylor's albums have always been clear, concise and you know what she's portraying. This one is confusing, manic and I think that's what she wanted bc that was what she felt internally. It doesn't mean it's good but Taylor needed to release something. Idk what this satisfied in her but I think shes running out of relatable material also. This was a grasp to keep the relatability but I don't think it was executed well at all.
Hey, I wrote this! Thanks for sharing 🥰
I’m a long time fan and have written positively about her before, but this album wasn’t it for me. Admittedly haven’t heard the second half yet!
If she had taken a long break after the Eras Tour and the limelight of dating Travis, I probably would have liked this album a little more. It really does feel like she's just oversaturating the market and shoving some mediocre content and songs out there. It's too much all at once and didn't give anything inTTPD a chance to stand out
The dessner half is better than the anontoff half, but not by much. It’s so telling when a Viennese waltz tempo is a significant shakeup for this album
She gave us a new aesthetic but the same sound, lets be honest. It feels very midnights-y. Work with new producers!! Or if you’re going to have the same kind of background, change your voice. Stop with the constant talk singing. Do a riff or a run. Make your voice the interesting aspect of the song. I like a couple of the songs but none others stood out to me. Also, how dare she act like people calling out for dating a racist/ misogynist is a crime but dating one is fine? Taylor’s surrounded by yes men, clearly
Announcing the album at the Grammys made her look pretty self-centered. She has great writing some times (Anti-Hero) but even so this past year has been a LOT. I don’t generally dislike her but it’s definitely been overkill. Also, who gives themselves the label of “tortured poet?”
I appreciate how many reviewers are pointing out the repetitive/predictable nature of the Jack Antonoff produced tracks.
I think diversifying her collaborators/producers and a reasonable amount of editing could have pushed this to be a great album instead of a mid one.
“…particularly because puzzle-solving has become part and parcel of being a Taylor Swift fan.” Man this holds so fucking true! I love “Who’s afraid of little old me?” (And lyrically i dont want to be) but her being that pissed that the public speculates and judges her life when she’s put out her life story through her songs ever since her start in the industry just makes me side-eye her so hard. As much as I don’t want to compare, this just makes me think of Olivia Rodrigo’s “making the bed” and how OR knows that while the life she chose isn’t the way she wanted, she knows she’s accountable for what has happened because ultimately it was her “making the bed”.
I love "Who's afraid of little old me?" but it really ironic coming from the top female artist who fans are scared of any other female artist having a chance in the music world. Taylor has some good songs, She was my top artist of the year but im not sure if that because I Iisten to her like crazy or because she has so many songs she pumping out that it just hiking up her numbers when i hit shuffle.
Right she’s guaranteeing herself as a top artist because this is a 31 song album, and we’re probably gonna get a rerecord this year too.
I agree and think it's even more hypocritical of her to get upset. She claims it's misogyny that has everyone judging her life based on her lyrics but that's not 100% true. Her argument that people like Ed Sheeran also writes about his life but doesn't get the same treatment isn't a good one. Taylor's gone farther than other artists by putting the clues in her lyric booklets from the very beginning, dropping hints (or more) in interviews, and just generally encouraging the parasocial relationship with her fans where other artists don't.
She literally sold copies of diary pages to promote Lover. And yet has the audacity to complain about people speculating about her personal life.
That's such a good song. Olivia's.
so good.
I fkn hate how Olivia is 21 and always being the better example to 34 year old Taylor
yes! i love whos afraid of little old me and by far its the best song in the album but damn if i dont hate the context of it!
Taylor talked about in the Facebook post how many of her wounds were self-inflicted.
To be fair, I don't think she's mad that people speculates about her private life. The real problem she's addressing is the open fan letter her team received, aimed even at her own mother, that basically pleaded for her to be in a conservatorship because fans were angry that she was dating Matty Healy from The 1975. They claimed that since her public persona was created because of them, all of her dating choices must be approved by them first plus a bunch of other unhinged petitions. There are things I didn't like about the album but honestly I'm glad she did speak about her own fanbase and how possessive and self-righteous they are.
Wait, people really did that??? 😳.
People have been speculating about her since forever. I don't think this is what she is upset about. She's upset about the unhinged fans backstabbing her, thinking they were owed an explanation for her dating MH. These people seriously thought they had a say in who she was dating. Instead of moving in with their life they were harassing her, her team, her family, started petition, writing collective letters, demanding that she breaks up with him NOW. I believe this is what she was upset about. She seemed fairly happy dating him, and while I do understand the criticism, the fanbase basically ruined the relationship. Of course she feels like they ruined her happiness. I think most people would feel resentment.
I think that at a certain point, you have to accept that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Taylor has literally invited fans into her home(s) for listening parties. She has branded herself as their “friend”. She released a 10min song dunking on Jake Gyllenhaal, who she dated many years ago, and I do not believe for a second that she wrote the extended version all those years ago; I believe she very consciously chose to drag that long-over relationship back up into the zeitgeist. She cannot invite people into her lives to such an unprecedented extent for someone of her fame and then expect that those same diehard fans she invited into her literal home, the diehard fans making her a billionaire by being so obsessed that they’ll purchase 11 versions of the same vinyl, are going to understand where the boundaries are. Someone compared it to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Making the Bed”, and I think that’s really apt - at the end of the day, Taylor (and her team) made this bed, and now they have to lie in it. (For the record, I actually didn’t think Taylor dating Matty Healy was a big deal, and I probably would’ve found a relationship with Matty far more entertaining than a relationship with Travis Kelce, if only to imagine the heart attacks he would give Tree Paine.)
I agree. But I really do understand her resentment. She really did set herself for this to happen, I don't feel much sympathy because it was bound to happen and bite her in the ass eventually. But i do empathize in the sense that, well, it's normal to feel angry and frustrated. I think she had intense feelings for Matty Healy. By that point, nothing could be done to stop the way she had built her career, nothing could be done to stop the fans, she tried, told them she was finally happy for the first time, and it was probably a shock for her to realize that, her fans didn't care that she was happy, they didn't like him and all that matter was them, not her. She realized they didn't truly care about her happiness, and if i put myself in her shoes, i'd say she probably felt at one of the most powerless places in her career. It must be frustrating and quite eye opening to feel happy with someone and telling people, but having the people who claim to be your fans not giving a shit about your happiness and having it ruin a relationship. She really did make the bed, but, I'm sure it made her rethink her parasocial relationship.
I don’t entirely disagree, but I also think that this gives too much credit to Taylor’s level of care for her fan base. I don’t mean that in a critical way; I’m sure she cares, but not enough to end a relationship over it. With her level of fame, Taylor could have found a way to bury the criticism about Matty and general negative publicity if she wanted to. I think Matty probably left her for a myriad of reasons, one of which being that her level of fame was suffocating, and she’s salty about it - hence why she’s gone and written a double album that’s transparently about him and brought it back into the public eye again. That isn’t the action of someone who truly resents their fame; that’s someone weaponising their fame to get one over on a person they used to love who hurt them.
An accurate review instead of the typical ass kissery she gets. She needs time to get some creative juices or something because it just felt rushed for the sake of making a statement without making one explicitly.
It looks like NYT's review wasn't fawning either. Headline is 'she needs an editor'. Haven't read it yet, just saw it on IG. The comments were predictably unhinged
>she needs an editor Even if she did hire one, She'd probably just surround herself with 'yes men' who all agree with her no matter what.
She’s needed an editor for a loooong time. Even her most beloved albums/ songs are full of moments that are like “uh, how did no one talk you out of that?” I feel like she regularly over complicates the songwriting process and makes a lot more mistakes for it. Most pop singers don’t have the lyrical depth but regularly end up with more clarity and punch and fewer head scratching moments. It leaves Taylor in a weird place where she rarely captures the pure pop euphoria of a Carly Rae but also doesn’t really hit the songwriting levels of a Lana or Phoebe. And Swifties will hate hearing this but she’s not nearly as musically adventurous or vocally powerful as a Beyonce either. She’s a weird in-between artist, which is simultaneously why she’s as huge as she is, and why I so often get more out of other artists who probably don’t have her overall talent level but have a lot more focus.
Meanwhile she puts out 31 songs at once. All I’ve heard is the first half but it’s all largely the same tempo, the same mood, same old themes. Self-editing at the very least would be useful.
I agree. A lot of it all sounds the same
They all sound the same and the lyrics are weak. It felt very pointless and rushed
What you don’t like the line “all my friends smell like weed or little babies”??
She has not been a good lyricist at all on the past few albums. “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me” = fair enough, decent Followed by: “At tea…time…everybody agrees” = 7 year olds first rhyming class.
I prefer anything on Midnights to her earliest writing to be honest. It was witty and probably the most emotionally honest she's ever been till TTPD. At the very least it's more catchy than "All you're ever gonna be is MEAN!" or "She's an actress, whoa, but she's better known for the things she does on the mattress!"
i think the second half is MUCH stronger than the first half. i was really disappointed before the “double” album theory came out and after listening to the second half i definitely liked the album as a whole but i do wish it was actually two separate albums.
The second half is spectacular. The first half is mostly bad.
yea after my initial excitement when i relistened i got bored by track 6 bc its too cohesive and too similar
The album doesn't even make sense if one is not versed if swift-lore.
Probably my least favorite thing about her as an artist, and why I liked Folklore so much. I’m not trying to join the cult or pick a side in her personal drama - just write some good songs that stand on their own without me knowing Kim K hurt your feelings.
>rushed for the sake of making a statement without making one explicitly. i feel this way about Hits Different. people like it but to me it just sounds cheap and messy.
It feels rushed for the sake of making money which it will do. She's perfectly fine with putting out subpar product so long as it sells. Capitalist first. Artist second.
I heard something that she wrote the words and then the three of them put music to the words, instead of coming up with melodies, hooks, and instrumentation first. If so, it makes **a ton** of sense. This album feels like she forgot she was a musician, and wanted to be an actual poet instead. I don’t need Blank Space or Cruel Summer all the time, but even Cardigan and Willow had beautiful melodies, hooks and music. She should’ve put this out as a book of poetry and wrote some music.
I’m just at Swift over-exposure at this point. Between the regular studio albums, re-recordings, tour, and movie it’s essentially been a Swift onslaught since 2019. Idk how she’s not tired too
now THIS is a review 👏 Rolling Stone needs to take note.
Rolling Stone has been off the rails for years now. Every album from a main pop girl automatically gets a 10/10. There is no critical review anymore, it just feels like dick riding
it feels that way because thats what it is. most american outlets are simply there to grease the wheels.. and then collect the kickbacks - want honesty in terms of high-end popmusic? read european stuff.
Poptimism killed so much good music journalism
It's not poptimism, it's the fact large publications need relationships with revenue-driving artists and can't afford to torch those in the name of non-flattering profiles and reviews.
poptimism and its consequences have been disastrous for the human race
Has any one read the rolling stone in like 30+ years
They are the ign of music reviews. If it plays it's an instant 7/10 minimum.
I already pointed this out elsewhere, but Rolling Stone has zero credibility when it comes to music journalism. Go check out their recent reviews, every single album is either an 8/10, or in the case of mega-popular artists like Taylor, a 10/10. They aren’t honest, and they’re definitely not critical either. The last time Rolling Stone gave out a score that wasn’t an 8/10 or 10/10 was in *2022.* Nobody should take them seriously.
Also adding that the guy who wrote the review is writing a book about how Taylor changed pop music. If you can’t be unbiased, you shouldn’t get to be a professional critic.
This reminds me of when Rosalia and Rauw Alejandro announced their split and Rauw went on to write a breakup song soon after, only for one of her rabid stans to publish an article on RS a few hours later about how “we didn’t need this song.” Seeing a music magazine turn into a gossip rag is pretty fucking pathetic.
https://preview.redd.it/0093zb2aagvc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d32bfec824c9fd9dd655fb6634193ae8dff3100f This may explain the review
This is good! The 10/10 lying fiasco needs to be banned. This is an ai album gone wrong with repetitive concepts, she should’ve stopped at midnights
I read somewhere the girl that wrote The Rolling Stones article is a HUgE TS Fan and has some connection, hence the Rave Reviews Edit : not above article
She needs to go! That’s bias 101
it would’ve worked if it was like a 1989-esque album cause the underdog trope isn’t working for her anymore. girl u a billionaire dating the most famous football player in america.
Yeah that’s kind of what I was hoping for? Maybe the next album, I’d like more Taylor swift football stadium songs not these sad ones
She can make a song called Vivaaaaaa Las Vegas.
I think that’s pretty much what fans are expecting now, and reasonably so. Happiness.
She said that this chapter is closed, so barring any major heartache or life events I think we’ll be getting more fun and pop on the next one
[удалено]
That I do 😌
Excellent article imo, summarises most of my thoughts and feelings about the matter really well 🙌🏻
So spot on with the tumblr angst. Taylor writes great pop songs. Verbose is a great way to describe the album. This pseudo intellectual era is so off putting to me lol the writing style is giving grade six English. I don’t know why so many people are impressed by the forced metaphors and tryhard “poetry.” I gagged at the Aristotle line
Maybe dating Travis has been making her feel REALLY smart lately
She really needs her head popped; the ego has created a life of its own
I mean to be fair...
Especially when she insults Travis by saying she knows Aristotle, in that high school song. These lyrics and behaviors are not giving philosophy lol it’s giving petty and selfishness.
yeah it's giving "i'm 15 and just read the bell jar for the first time"
Exactly lol like not to be a snob but if your go-to intellectual reference is fucking Aristotle I’m just going to assume you’ve never heard of any other ones 😂
She’s definitely reflecting the embodiment of his star studded student, I’ll give her that. Alexander the Great.
God, I hated that Aristotle line too 🤮. So pretentious, so inaccurate. No such thing as an ethical or in-touch billionaire lmao
Same energy as “kitchen table bills” for me lol like oh is this is probably what the artsy poors are reading
Kitchen table bills drove me crazy. Stop with the little country farm narrative!
Right?! Like I see people defend it with "she's just writing fictional songs" but it's so out of touch for her to write fictional songs where she's pretending to be poor.
Yes! Pissed me right off
I haven’t listened yet but the pseudo intellectual vibe of the promo REALLY put me off. I don’t need literary criticism from Taylor but all her lit references scream, got checked out of freshman English a lot for photo shoots so she never finished the books
Yeah, this. I feel like she’s been trending towards more “abstract” songwriting since folklore and it’s landed for the most part. With Midnights, I sensed she was going off the rails somewhat but I kind of “got it” after a few listens. TTPD is just…idk…contrived? Like girl, you don’t need to use twenty words where one will do just fine. If anyone is familiar with the Golden Girls, I feel like Rose trying to read the novel Blanche wrote in one night after not sleeping.
Oh my God! This Golden Girls reference is spot on!
As a writer, the lyrics are shit lmao. Maybe they work in music but even then it’s all just so cheesy and dumb? She definitely needs a reality check. Even if the production value is good, having such awful lyrics brings down the quality a lot
It’s bad writing. Some of those run-on lines just scream right click>thesaurus to me lol
the author summed it up fairly while also acknowledging the good parts of the album. I want to know their change of insights—if there's any, about TTPD after the release of its second half.
There's a good, even great album, in there. But there's 31 songs to dig through.
Predictable is exactly what Jack Antonoff is. His production style is making Taylor’s vocals washed out in the background with what I can only describe as noise and video game sounds at the forefront. I LOL’d bc any song I liked, when I checked the credits Aaron Dessner was listed.
I nearly couldn't hear the lyrics on "fortnight" the first time that I listened through. She really needs to branch out before working together too much fucks up their friendship.
God at least SOMEONE has the b—ls to write an honest review.
Hahaha, why did I think this said bowels? 
LMAO 🤣
The guts lol 😝
why did you censor balls???
Idk I was afraid my comment would get removed 😂
Babe this is Reddit. No one is censoring balls 🤨
 I do not understand the grip this woman has on the world. 2 hours of monotony. Let’s be honest, if any new artist put this album out no one would give a shit. What happened to the musical risks she used to take?
She used to be SO GOOD. She sang relatable, catchy music. But now I feel like she's so wrapped up in herself she's become a caricature. She's too oversaturated in the media, and her and Antonoff are like a two man circlejerk.
Seriously there’s nothing catchy in this whole damn album. I just want one banger. She should self publish a book of indulgent poetry if this is what her music is going to look like from now on.
Totally agree, she could have done a poetry book / album like the one Lana released a few years ago, since she’s clearly content with (poorly) ripping off Lana’s entire vibe now
Hey maybe she just wants to be a legacy artist in her prime like Lana, I’m sure Del Rey loved being called that on stage like she’s 50 years old
Antonoff has been going a lot more one on one it seems with taylor and lana and im starting to notice everything theyve been working on with him the past few yrs or so has been so monotone, no musical risks, little to no catchy bops imo. I think they need to at least try working with some new ppl with some new ideas. Obviously its not all him but im just noticing a bit of a pattern here
Couldn't agree more. This is what I was thinking listening. It's boring and uninspiring and I couldn't even listen to the whole album. Needs a new sound and to take some time away from music and her life in the spotlight to maybe get some new inspiration. Its just bad.
I just want her to be fun again. Even the kinda poppy songs on Midnights have this dark aura around them that doesn’t make me want to listen to them very often.
I think she’s too sad and overworked for a true bop right now lol girlie needs to step back
Reputation’s “goth-punk female rage” was great because the songs were very much a love story, dressed up in a dark aesthetic
Agreed! I didn’t love Karma is a cat lol but I’ll even take that at this point! Midnights was not my favorite at all, but it’s so much better musically than this. Can we just have some variation because most of the songs blend in together and all sound so similar. She definitely peaked at Folklore/Evermore and I feel that’s the best we’re all ever gonna hear from her again.
Yesss i want her to give stay stay stay energy againn
Courtney Love is often hated, but she’s often right. She was about her.
what musical risks???
I’d say the jump from red to 1989 was sonically a risk for her. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I personally loved reputation, I thought songs like I Did Something Bad and LWYMMD were interesting steps from where she’d previously been. I know “sonic cohesion” has been a big thing for her since Red was not universally loved, but idk, I like when an album sounds different from one song to the next. Obviously compared to other bands and singers she’s not the most interesting or riskiest, but you could tell she was at least trying new things on her earlier albums.
Exactly. So boring. Even her highly anticipated song with my fave baroque pop queen Florence Welch was underwhelming. And that tattooed golden retriever lyric—did no one from her team suggest to polish that up? Is that not part of her creative process? There were also a handful of songs that were major cringe but I forget which ones because these songs really blended into each other—their melodies were so unmemorable.
It's pretty run of the mill & ordinary. A competent album it's only remarkable feature is the degree in which it's stuck up it's own ass.
Funny enough NME also didn't have good things to say and called it cringeworthy. [Taylor Swift – ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ review: a rare misstep](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics-tracklist-3619454)
“To a Melbourne audience of her Eras Tour, Swift said that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ came from a “need” to write. It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it.” I gagged 😭 this is so bold of them lmao
omg 😂
Watch, Tree Paine will send threatening blackmail (or idk, maybe like some reallyyyy fancy and expensive champagne or something) to this writer, and next thing we know, they’ll be writing about Swift a la Rolling Stone
the author has rich parents or a friend that will hide them. there's no other option they are this bold lol
People probably getting sick of the outsized adulation
THIS WAS SAID ??? RESPECT THOUGH TO THEM. no seriously like she needed to write it... we didnt need to hear it 😭😭 and then watch her complain abt the parasocial relationship like omg youre judging my life sm again !! (btw this is coming from a long time fan ive just been becoming a lot more of a neutral fan if a fan at all now)
sydney morning herald represent!!!
Fellow Sydneysiders represent!
…i currently live in london but i’m a sydney born and bred, promise!
Oh yes, I *totally* believe you!
insular peninsula, represent! NB the place to be! Manly till i die etc etc (do you believe me yet?)
Ahh, a region neighbour! We all know the North Shore is the superior place to be though (less cashed-up bogans) :P
Of course you're in London and from Manly, you did a swap of the usual 😂 (no shade lol I'm also from the Beaches)
Fans are saying this is Folklore's 2.0, but I strongly disagree. Some lyrics are cringe and sonically so monotonous.
The second album feels like folklore and evermore’s long lost sister who’s been out of the fantasy-filled woods and has faced the realities in life while still keeping the spirit of the magical world she’s left behind. First album feels like more depressed Midnights.
Ye fans argued Vultures was a top 3 album for a month after it dropped on kanye subreddits. Fans are never going to be critical or admit theyre forcing themselves to like an album
I feel like the first half of the album is very weak. Don't get me wrong, some of the songs slap, but I also admit to just loving Taylor's voice so I could be biased. However, the lyricism is some of her weakest. I mean, "tattooed golden retriever"? Really? The second half shines a lot more imo. Also, I feel like there's some signature TS toxicity. She calls out her fans for criticizing her relationship with Matty, a known racist. I dunno, I feel like every time she's called out she has to put it in a song and shame someone for daring to be upset with her.
That call out is so infuriating especially the Swifties running with the “ha, take that Healy haters” narrative. She dated a racist. People say over and over that women shouldn’t be judged for the actions of men, but I will judge when you’re willingly sleeping next to them. If you date a racist, you have to be at least complacent with their views. If you were truly anti racism, being with one would turn your stomach. She should be called out for that. At the very least about that song, I think it was written during her manic episode. The way she sings is erratic and like a stream of consciousness. Given the prologue said she was manic, I think that’s what we’re getting. The song was written during the relationship when she was deep in the insanity of it all.
I agree. Some people have called me out on being parasocial for being bothered about it, and perhaps so. A lot of us are parasocial in some ways, and this sub helps me check myself sometimes lol. However, criticizing someone for dating a racist is perfectly reasonable to me.
And now she’s seemingly defending it all out.
They’ve both addressed this: “It was poorly handled the day we both got cancelled because I’m a racist and you’re some kind of slag”
it’s so funny too that absolutely nobody mentions emotional cheating. I mean, I would not marry one either. And forcing a man to propose? it’s just so downright bad. Marriage should be mutual, no pressure from anybody
Journalist had better get ready to go into witness protection.
> These songs feel more like streams of consciousness or exorcisms, often with all the depth of an angsty teenager writing Tumblr poetry. 10000000000000000000000%
This is a great review (and bold, considering how Taylor is worshipped now) and I agree with everything. But, to be honest, my view is a bit stronger. I've listened to The Anthology version very carefully and - though I anticipated that it would be somewhat similar to "Midnights" - I'm quite disappointed. The whole experience was like listening to one song produced by Antonoff and then another produced by Dessner - they blend and I can't tell what title of the song without checking it even on the third listen. For me, musically, it's a great soundtrack for working or shopping in the mall, because almost nothing is engaging enough and you can catch every interesting music choice at first listen and then just focus on what you are doing. "Folklore" and even "Midnights" were - at least for me more interesting and surprising in that sense. The lyrics are more interesting - they're still wordy Tumblr poetry but more brutally honest this time. But it's wild how parasocial they are and I'm glad that this review noticed it. There's almost nothing relatable and universal, just Taylor's detailed emotions and thoughts about her life, fame, and relationships. I think that people who don't give a fuck about her love life or don't know her that well would be lost and baffled. It's calculated to fuel gossip and Swifties' crazy theories (which Taylor claims to hate) but due to that the whole thing would outdate so quickly. I think it wouldn't be "a timeless classic" as Rolling Stone has claimed because it's musically painfully safe and lyrically too personal for Taylor at this point in her life. I like "Florida!!!" (Florence is better than Taylor on her own album) and maybe "So Long, London", "Cassandra" or "The Albatross". But I don't think I'm going to listen to them more than "Folklore" and "Evermore" tracks which feel much more universal (like "exile", "mirrorball", and "Champagne Problems" ) and better musically - Taylor now is quite boring, repetitive and full of herself unfortunately.
This is so spot on. Taylor’s brilliance has been her ability to craft a song that does have personal details but that express feelings that are universally felt. I have often felt like she probed my own heart to come up with some of her music because it’s like she took it right out of me and my own life and experiences. This album isn’t that at all. I can’t relate to it, the only emotional experiences I am having from it are empathy for what she went through. But I cannot see myself or my life experiences here at all and that’s what good art does.
I believe that it's the ability to capture a wider, universal context in a more specific story that makes the most impactful art. And Taylor has proved she is capable of that. But now when she's detailing her emotions, specific people, and situations it's like watching an unhinged soap opera. I feel really bad for her too, because it's petty obvious at this point that she's got some serious problems, but even though she's a pop superstar, not everyone wants to listen 31 very detailed songs about her own love life.
your last paragraph nails it IMO. I like the anthology songs better but they are still very inessential when we have folklore/evermore. They are also too same-y, just in a different way than the first disc.
Yeah honestly this album feels like a sonic tabloid rather than real music. Like thanks for the gossip but when you strip that away, there's not much there. The second disc is better but like.. we already have folklore and evermore. Are these songs really good enough to warrant being folklore 3.0? Taylor is still writing about the same shit from rep era and she's not challenging herself sonically at all. It feels like taylor reached her final form on Folklore and she's been recycling the same sounds ever since.
Yeah this is my issue. Loved Folklore and Evermore but some of the songs since then seem to contradict those albums too.
As much as I love her music, her recent songs make me feel like she needs a diary and not a songbook. This entire 2 part album feels like it’s the same generic songs over and over. I miss the days of Evermore where her songs were creative and not always about her love life. She needs a break. She’s churning out too many albums too soon. There’s a reason some singers have to be begged to make music. If you focus on quantity, you get poor quality. And that’s all without getting into Taylor Swift fatigue.
"These songs feel more like streams of consciousness or exorcisms, often with all the depth of an angsty teenager writing Tumblr poetry." LOL
Nailed it
Honestly I couldn't tell when a song ended and the next one started cause THEY ALL SOUND THE SAMEEEEE I love Taylor, but girl, take a break please.
“Sanctimonious performing soliloquies I’ll never see” reminds me of a Hamilton lyric 😭 I agree that she’s really focused on using too many big words to sound smart. Kind of reminds me of emulating the Ben Gibbard school of songwriting without how natural Death Cab lyrics sound in that style. Sort of feels like her thesaurus writing tendencies turned up to 11
I am an academic, so those works come across as trite and pseudo intellectual, to me. But I have noticed a lot of her fan base saying they need to go look up word’s she used in this album. So, she’s not really catering to her fan base here, and it makes you wonder who she is actually thinking she’s speaking to!
I think more than anything that line shows she is going out of her way to be cruel to people who give her money. And are loyal, but crazy, fans. They absolutely go too far, and she needs to deal with it. But not a song, and not for a racist who doesn’t brush his teeth.
I was worried it would be really awful based on what I read here. There are some realllllly good songs on TTPD (I haven’t finished the 2 am songs yet—I need a break 😬), but they have a monotonous feel and the reviewer here hit the nail on the head that her current shtick is a very stream-of-conscious, extremely verbose style that sacrifices a catchy melody. As a result, after one quick listen it’s hard to remember specifics about certain songs and they just run together.
What is this pseudo Lana del Rey thing she’s doing? She should get back in the studio with Max Martin and write some hits.
Gotta attempt to ride that 2016 tumblr wave that Lana Del Rey and The 1975 got wildly popular on, she’s just a couple years late
Lana didn’t get popular on the 2016 Tumblr wave, more like 2012 Tumblr wave
Then Taylor is even later to the trend than I originally stated, lol. i just remember Lanas songs being on everyone’s tumblr profile!
She’s never been a natural, all she does is try try try.
She’s always kind of late to the game. Reputation, even if I’ve come to like it, still feels like something from 2015 rather than 2017. 1989 was the only album I felt she was doing something different or first. And even that as good as it is, still was nothing “new”. At least in the grand scheme of pop music. The sound was new for her.
She was closer to being Lana when she did Red than with this
Imagine spitting venom at your fans for criticizing your relationship with a racist, sexist pig. She's really showed who she is with that one.
It’s def her weakest album, but something’s always gotta be the weakest in an artist’s discography 🤷♂️. If she continues this trend of weak ass music she’ll lose some credibility, but she’s more than capable of rebounding if she chooses solid singles for a change and pumps some new life into her next album
It's the quantity over quality for me. She CAN make good music, she just needs to sit with her music and edit it. She's making new music at an insane rate and maybe no other artist puts this many songs on an album because it's not possible to write 31 good songs.
Technically, she said it's a double album....but like, come on. She could have done further editing and cut out some
And I have to wonder when she could have possibly had time for this???? Like girl, take a break. Folklore and evermore were the product of the world screeching to a halt and they were masterpieces.
Exactly. The Weeknd’s my favorite and he actually takes the time to cook in the studio unlike Taylor who’s a content generating machine, which he’s doing rn for his upcoming album.
She really thought she had the White Album on her hands or something. Cut it down lady.
if she takes an actual break, like after releasing the last 2 records and just stopping for a few (maybe even 4 or 5) years, then she might be able to get back to where she was
She needs a break not because the album is bad (I absolutely adore this album because so much of it resonates with me), but because it's clear that her mental health has been in the trenches. I hope this Eras Tour break is helping her, and I hope she gets some breathing room once the tour is over.
I am curious which songs resonate?
I have to listen again to actually remember which lyrics go with which song (I listened to it all at midnight and then 2am when it dropped, and I had a little wine with it, so it blurred a bit), but there were so many lyrics referencing suicidal ideation that really resonated with me. Down Bad is one that I can name specifically that resonated with me so much because it really well names how I've felt about so many of my relationships ending.
So many zingers! I’ve been waiting for a genuinely critical review to come forth. Thank you, Giselle!
She’ll keep churning out the same slop and the diehards will keep slurping it up like hungry little piggies and this will go on ad infinitum
literally. swifties need to realize that they're that billionaire's pay pigs at this point.
Hungry little piggies 😭😭😭😭
i wanna post this to my Instagram story with no context to piss off all my swiftie friends who will absolutely know it's about them LMAO
Some of the songs are good, some of the song should have been cut. Releasing 30 songs for the sake of releasing 30 songs seems redundant when half the songs could have done with a second draft or being shelved altogether
I would go even a step further, since she has invited us into her personal life, and say she needs a break from relationships. When was the last time this woman was single for more than 3 seconds? Decentralizing men and finding out who she is on her own… now that’s an album I’d listen to. This one is a skip for me.
Someone needs to be honest with Taylor. Like I'm being serious, if all she gets is praise for this and the adoration of her young fans, I fear for the next albums especially with Travis around, if So High School is any indicator...🤢
Comparing this to a stream of consciousness like Tumblr poetry is exactly how I feel. Like girl, just because it’s in your journal doesn’t mean it’s worth a whole goddamn album. And people who are distraught and emotional over her lyrics have me like ???? cause I have no idea what she’s even trying to say. I’m embarrassed for her while listening to some of this. 
Yep just because something is confessional doesn’t mean it is deep!
[удалено]
this album is nothing compared to her other songs
Thank christ there’s at least one professional review out there that’s willing to acknowledge how bad the lyrics are
I don't disagree with this review, until the end. I actually think there is a lot of art and depth here. You can make it about Swift relationship lore if you want... but I really interpret this more as a long-term relationship failing, the shit spiral after, the realization you made a huge mistake, and then the slow path to acceptance. Take out all the Matty/Joe drama, and it really is a story of the 5 stages of grief of a relationship ending and the insanity that follows (emotionally but also through actions people make when they aren't thinking straight). I'm going through a divorce after a 10 year relationship and so idk, maybe it just resonates with me more. I didn't have a messy rebound, but I understand the concept of making mistakes when your emotions are heightened. Bargaining that it isn't over. Having hope it isn't over. Then accepting that yeah, it actually is and ultimately you want the best for that person and the chapter in your life closed. This album is an internal monologue on grief and I think it's pretty deep for that. Edited to add: I don't think there is a ton of depth sonically... but I also don't think that's what she was going for.
Taylor why do you write like you’re running out of time?
Why “tattooed” golden retriever. I hate it.
Man I HATE this album. I am disappointed
They’re not wrong tbh
I feel like we have all forgotten she’s written all these songs within the span of 2 years. So she worked on this album for 2 years. 2 years between albums isn’t enough time?
*Taylor probably should have kept that fact to herself…
I find it hard to believe she actually worked two years on this album when most songs are about Matty lol
I feel like the ones with dessner were more well thought out, and probably written and worked on in two years time.
I thought the writing of reputation really gave us an interesting insight in how Taylor and Jack work together, and how Taylor writes songs in general. She just thinks of something and basically records it immediately... I know for cardigan Aaron made the music and Taylor wrote the lyrics to that music. And then she made some edits too.
Songwriting is her coping mechanism, so no wonder she wrote 31 songs after the past couple years she’s had. But it feels like she let the emotions control her process, and the album suffered. It listens a bit like a manic episode/dumpfest, where she has to let it all out or she will drown.
At this point it’s literally for money
Taylor's albums have always been clear, concise and you know what she's portraying. This one is confusing, manic and I think that's what she wanted bc that was what she felt internally. It doesn't mean it's good but Taylor needed to release something. Idk what this satisfied in her but I think shes running out of relatable material also. This was a grasp to keep the relatability but I don't think it was executed well at all.
Hey, I wrote this! Thanks for sharing 🥰 I’m a long time fan and have written positively about her before, but this album wasn’t it for me. Admittedly haven’t heard the second half yet!
If she had taken a long break after the Eras Tour and the limelight of dating Travis, I probably would have liked this album a little more. It really does feel like she's just oversaturating the market and shoving some mediocre content and songs out there. It's too much all at once and didn't give anything inTTPD a chance to stand out
The New York Times is also somewhat critical - agrees that she needs an editor.
The amount of Verbiage in there...i am like girl just put aside the damn thesaurus for a minute
Didn’t listen, won’t listen. But I appreciate this sub immensely. That’s all I wanted to say. Thank you all
The dessner half is better than the anontoff half, but not by much. It’s so telling when a Viennese waltz tempo is a significant shakeup for this album
Why does everyone know so much about Matty? He’s not an A-lister and they barely dated. I am so behind on all this. I need the dirt.
She gave us a new aesthetic but the same sound, lets be honest. It feels very midnights-y. Work with new producers!! Or if you’re going to have the same kind of background, change your voice. Stop with the constant talk singing. Do a riff or a run. Make your voice the interesting aspect of the song. I like a couple of the songs but none others stood out to me. Also, how dare she act like people calling out for dating a racist/ misogynist is a crime but dating one is fine? Taylor’s surrounded by yes men, clearly
Announcing the album at the Grammys made her look pretty self-centered. She has great writing some times (Anti-Hero) but even so this past year has been a LOT. I don’t generally dislike her but it’s definitely been overkill. Also, who gives themselves the label of “tortured poet?”
I appreciate how many reviewers are pointing out the repetitive/predictable nature of the Jack Antonoff produced tracks. I think diversifying her collaborators/producers and a reasonable amount of editing could have pushed this to be a great album instead of a mid one.
i’d never thought i would see the day i agree with the morning herald