Scarlett

From the standard edition of The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), I found that there was a lack of songs that I could genuinely listen to without feeling like I was listening to the past few years of her music regurgitated. I find that the lyrics have morphed into this archetype of a 'tortured poet', some of the lyrics feeling as though Taylor has gone "Hmm... what is a perplexing synonym to sound more poetic". This album did not feel like a Taylor Swift album to me, and to be wholly truthful, it was a genuine reflection of a manic Taylor last year. To me, this album was like an intimate glimpse into her life. The themes of marriage, alcoholism, drugs, suicidal ideation, and infidelity were a stark contrast to her previous discography. As a consensus, Taylor Swift should change her producers as for majority of the album felt so repetitive. The Anthology saved the album for me, delving into the sound I was expecting for a 'Tortured Poet'. As a CD collector, however, the release of the supposed 'Exclusive, Limited edition' bonus tracks on Spotify & Apple Music, 2 hours after the standard release annoyed me deeply. Not to mention, the whimsical amounts of CD's, Vinyls, and Cassettes released. A few standout tracks for me include: Guilty as Sin?, Clara Bow, The Albatross, The Prophecy, and Cassandra. Overall, this album is not one of my favourites, and does not feel like an 'instant classic', rather a work only glorified because Taylor Swift is in the (supposed) peak of her career. I definitely do enjoy her work with Aaron Dessner more. I think to me and many other long time swifties this album was a bit disappointing.