By Sydney Dalske
Taylor Swift has once again surprised her music fans with a double album release, signaling another new beginning in her illustrious career. On April 19th, Swift released not just one, but two albums: the anticipated “Tortured Poets Department” followed by its surprising sequel “TTPD: The Anthology”.
The lead up to the release of this album had many clues dropped along the way and lots of speculation from the fanbase. Once midnight (ET) came on Thursday night, fans were given the first album to dissect before the second about 2 hours later.
The primary album, titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” has 16 tracks all about 4 minutes in length. There are a multitude of emotions involved in each of the songs in the album, including heartbreak, longing, anger and self-reflection. Her lyrics commonly reflect a juxtaposition of both longing and loss at the same time which paints a vivid picture of the complexities of human relationships.
From a statement that was shared on her Instagram account, Taylor Swift describes the album as “an anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fantastic moment in time.”
But one of the album’s major features is the collaborations it has, including Post Malone and Florence + the Machine. These songs, “Florida!!!” and “Fortnight” fuse together two distinct musical voices, showcasing the dynamics between them.
Behind the scenes, many of the songs were co-written by the talents of Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner—longtime collaborators throughout Swift’s career. They both play pivotal roles in shaping the album’s sonic landscape and have helped shape the body of work that has resonated with so many fans.
The anticipation that this album received was sky high, receiving a record breaking number of pre-saves ahead of its release on Spotify. The clues that Swift dropped, such as QR codes around cities across the globe, fed into the major anticipation. Since its release, it has broken Spotify’s record for most streamed album in a single day.
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