How much sad did you think I had in me?

Yes, it's a Swiftie post

Everyone has hot takes on Taylor Swift’s most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department/Anthology. I’ve been sitting with it for about 6 weeks now since it was released and have really grown to love it.

Which is to say, like a lot of music, on first listen, it was sort of jumbled together and confusing. 31 songs released at once is A LOT. Trillian and I had gone to a Taylor Swift trivia night and album release party at an adorable board game cafe here and had a blast.

What was even better is that I didn’t know a local friend of mine was also going to be there with her daughter, and so we combined forces and did pretty well in trivia thanks to her daughter who is a TS whiz kid!

It was 9pm when the first half of the album was released and the cafe’s sound system was not great, so we decided to listen in the car on the way home. I listened to the rest at home before the second half was released, and listened to the Anthology songs over the next week.

The only song that really stood out to me on that first listen was “Florida!!!” with Florence + the Machine. I recognized immediately that I was going to love that song, and 6 weeks in that hasn’t changed. Their voices complement each other so well, the song is weird and quirky (like Florida) and I can’t get enough.

Another elder Swiftie friend of mine said she felt this album was TMI, like we didn’t need to hear ALL THE FEELINGS. I totally get it! We listened to the whole 31 songs (or tried to, anyway) on a road trip the weekend after the release, and about halfway through we had to switch to something else because it just felt so SAD and heavy. It’s definitely a different vibe from her previous albums, not as fun and poppy and accessible.

But slowly, as I listened over the next few weeks, songs started individuating. They are in a similar style, but they don’t all sound the *same* once you get to know them. And having come from a 1980s/1990s background of buying a whole album and listening through (which is so rare with streaming these days!), I knew I had to be patient. Even a new U2 album all sounds the same, but we admire U2 for having a signature sound!

Someone online said maybe the right approach to this album was creating your own playlist of the songs you love, and that’s exactly what I did. I picked my top 13 and it’s perfect. There’s only one song on this whole album I actively skip when listening to the whole thing (“Robin”, sorry fans). But my top 13 really sparkle on their own.

I’m just here for the music. I don’t care about the “lore” aka gossip behind the songs and I’m not a fan of billionaires in general. But I really enjoy this album because it gives me 90s singer-songwriter vibes. Yes, sometimes the lyrics are clunky or overdramatic. But it feels less “polished to perfection” and I love that.

So, if you are a fan of Taylor Swift’s music, but haven’t gotten into this album, I’d encourage you to give it another chance. My favorite tracks are: “Florida!!!”, “But Daddy I Love Him”, “So Long London”. Listen in small doses. (Hard when literally every restaurant and store is playing TS nonstop.) Let me know what you think of this album!