DD D

I love almost everything else Taylor has put out, but I was concerned when she announced a new album so soon after Midnights. took a break after my first listen of TTPD then came back to listen to it again a number of times. Even on Midnights (which has some weak tracks), at least there was still a lot of variety and the usual intriguing lyrics. I feel like most of the songs on TTPD all sound the same (you could easily morph the Fortnight chorus into TTPD’s for instance) and are missing her usual captivating bridges and remarkable melodies. What happened here? Taylor herself said in Miss Americana that it’s said that you are frozen at the age when you become famous, which for her would be, what, 15? To me, that’s what TTPD sounds like. She berates her fans for their “griping and complaining,” but almost this entire album is Taylor herself griping and complaining about how one guy did her wrong, her hard life that none of us could handle, and so forth. The fact that many of the songs were apparently inspired by her short-lived romance with a really unsavory racist singer is off-putting and gets back to her being frozen in time as a teenager. Taylor responded to the worst time of her life with Reputation, which was a spectacular smackdown to the haters. TTPD, put out at the height of her popularity, could more aptly be titled The Cringeworthy Complainers Department. She is just way better than this. The best part of this album for me was that it sent me back to Alanis Morissette’s second album (SFIJ), which similarly deals with the stressors of growing up in the music industry and dating toxic guys, but in a sharp contrast, Alanis actually takes responsibility for her actions (at age 23) and doesn’t take jabs at her fans. At age 34, Taylor seems to be telling all of us off for everything she’s experienced and wanting to make sure everyone knows how hard her life has been. I hope Taylor will take some time off after the amazing Eras tour finishes and find new sources of inspiration instead of cranking out another album like this one. I’d love to hear her singing some better new material.