The Torch Reviews Taylor Swift’s Latest Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Kaysha Bhagat and Ihaab Kashmiri • May 9, 2024

The self-declared “Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department” explores the idea of heartbreak from the lens of an adult who thought she had everything figured out, but didn’t.Photo courtesy of Universal Music Group.

Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department“ combines the intense lyricism of “folklore” and “evermore” with the show-stopping, synth-pop elements of “Midnights.” The highly-anticipated album was released on April 19, just two months after its surprise announcement at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where Swift won Album of the Year for “Midnights.”

Swift’s not one for the mundane, often leaving Easter eggs in her work for her fans to find, which is why it comes to no shock that she surprise-dropped a double album at 2 a.m. Swift has previously done this in 2022, dropping seven additional surprise tracks onto her studio album “Midnights” at 3 a.m.

Analysis

“The Tortured Poets Department” is Swift’s most personal album yet. It showcases rejected stories of devastation as in “So Long, London” and “loml.” Swift writes scathing testimonies regarding experiences within her personal life in songs like “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”

The self-declared “Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department” explores the idea of heartbreak from the lens of an adult who thought she had everything figured out, but didn’t. With her most ambitious songwriting yet, Swift conveys feelings of confusion, bitterness, vulnerability, and yet still, freedom.

Her newfound relationship with football star Travis Kelce seems to be on the forefront of everyone’s minds. Swifties speculate that “The Alchemy” and “So High School” are dedicated to the superbowl tight end. She reveals details of their relationship through her enamored football metaphors, singing, “Truth, dare, spin bottles/You know how to ball, I know Aristotle,” a lyric that has left many dumbstruck with wonder.

Each song is teeming with metaphors and whirlwinds of emotions like denial, anger, happiness and love. While heartbreak is the main message emphasized throughout the album, Swift is able to illustrate a variety of personal issues. She sings about the faults within the music industry, her issues with self-esteem, and even Greek Mythology. “The Tortured Poets Department” is Swift’s way of declaring that even in desperation, there is art, beauty— and most importantly, there is hope.

About the Contributors

Kaysha Bhagat

Kaysha Bhagat is a sophomore at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. For the past seven years, Kaysha has been enjoying the North Indian classical dance style of Kathak. In her free time, Kaysha loves to bake, specifically brownies. Kaysha appreciates spending quality time with her friends and family. She is fond of television shows like "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Scandal". She is also interesting in majoring in political science once she begins college.

Ihaab Kashmiri

Ihaab Kashmiri is a junior at JFK Memorial High School and a contributor to The Torch school newspaper. After an enlightening and gratifying experience in Introduction to Journalism class during her sophomore year, Ihaab is continuing to elevate her interest and prior knowledge of the field in a second year of Journalism through the “Multimedia” class. Journalism has allowed Ihaab to enrich the love for creative writing she has maintained since her childhood. She has been composing poems, stories, and songs since fourth grade, where she was first introduced to the different forms of writing. Along with writing, Ihaab also has an affinity for the arts. She participates in the school's spring musical every year, and has been doing so since she was a freshman. Ihaab enjoys experimenting with make-up, traveling, painting, cooking, and playing guitar. She is considering pursuing higher education in journalism or social studies/sciences. Though there is uncertainty of what the future will hold, Ihaab hopes that the career path she chooses will bring her a sense of joy and fulfillment.