Decoding Taylor's Tortured Poets Department | Review + Analysis (Part 1)
Taylor Swift's 11th studio album and surprise double record, "The Tortured Poets Department" is finally out. In this video, we're going to dive into the standard version and its core 16 tracks. Is Tortured Poets her 5th AOTY? Just how good is the album and who is this album about? I'm going to break it down for you. Then come back for part 2 where I dive into The Anthology!
#thetorturedpoetsdepartment #taylorswift #popmusic
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro/Background
1:15 We Were So Wrong
3:58 Overall Thoughts
5:46 Track-By-Track (Standard Version)
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The Tortured Poets Department is finally out! Let me know what track killed you. Note: this is just PART 1 of my coverage of Tortured Poets because I wanna give The Anthology the attention and care it deserves (and because it’s a bit tricky)
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? and Clara Bow on the standard… no spoilers for the Anthology
@@noneapplicable1327the taste exhibited!
I was most excited for loml AND I WAS RIGHT my top 3 first day listen 1. Loml 2. I can do it with a broken heart 3. The alchemy
Call me basic but so long London made me cry I was listening to it while in my schools reset room also who’s afraid of little old me because OML THAT SONG I’m also gonna say Peter 1. Because it has a lot of really good lyrics and reminds me of other songs 2. Most importantly it’s about me because my names Peter so she obviously made it about me loll 😭😭
Basic ain't a word when loving taylor songs lol
i think the muses for LOML were both matty and joe. it initially focuses on matty but circles back to joe towards the very end. it kinda shows how the aftermaths of a rebound left her grieving both relationships but coming to the conclusion that Joe was after all the loss of her life
Thank you for the comment! I relistened and agree! I actually was able to draw a connection to The Black Dog I would have never caught if I hadn’t seen this!
Yes! I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that.
I would describe this record as mental illness, I loved her chaotic style of writing 😭
That’s why I hardcore related 😔
Yep the writings of a mad woman relating back to folklore here
Like The Anthology’s Woodvale to me lol
Oh wow we used to call her style of writing as deep and almost poetic but now we're calling it "chaotic"? How convenient. Girlie thinks Taylor is Doja Cat. Lmao
This feels like an 80s ballad with 2024 whisper aesthetic and singer song writer 90s vibe. Those people obsessed with the lover house need this therapy.
The raw 90s writing style was solid, I just wish the production matched at times, I feel like the more analog tracks felt better!
They are driving me crazy!! I made a reel on IG detailing the burning of the loo House, and three theories why - my third was actually referenced in the fortnight video and I was shocked because I was right. Some people over there don't even know what it is/was and others have asked me "but if she burned it down what about Rep tv and debit??? Are we still getting them??? I got so mad and told them "she said yes, please don't bring them into discourse about TTPD. They're gone, we are longer doing eras." If you wanted to watch and read my theories, and pick out which theory was correct It's at noneofitwasaccidential
This album made me emotionally exhausting and I got physically tired. I need some time to process all 31 songs. 😅
I think that’s the inherent risk of doing a double album… I think there’s only so much a human mind can process! Imagine if Dune had been a 5 hour movie (I’d still go! But ouchies on my brain!)
@@EljohnMacaranas Yes! And not everyone has English Major in college. 😂😭
The one time my degree came in handy 😂
I love the meta commentary she did on her fame and status on this record, I also love how I can't relate to this record at all, it definitely has that absurd (in a clever, dark and comedic way) lana del rey-esque painting one's life as so grand vibe that I love so much. Can't believe Taylor, Beyoncé and Ariana all gave me my favorite records from them in under two months. My top 3 have to be who's afraid of little... Down bad and fortnight.
Your top 3 is pretty close to mine now that I had some rest. Honestly, forget about relatability. She’s a billionaire superstar who still has “it”. I don’t see it as a betrayal against her ethos or how she started and I’m so glad she made this. Also gosh Beyonce, Ariana, and Taylor in one year has killed me haha (and my sleep schedule!)
The way that this woman will never settle for the bare minimum is something that needs to be studied actually because the stuff thats happened days before the album drop was crazy i also love that this album wasnt what we expected at all like its a very interesting record actually i love it sm my fav song is i can do it with a broken heart on the standard not sure what my fav is on the anthology full edition though well have to wait and see, also im so glad that were getting FULL LENGTH ALBUMS again like the albums weve been getting or are getting have songs that are well over 5 minutes like we are so winning
I Can Do it With a Broken Heart needs to become the Eras tour closer or for her next live traveling show! Adore it so much! And agreed on the effort being put into the record with actual 5 and half minute songs! No one’s doing it like her! That’s why she’s successful!
waiiit now i know why there's a reason that suburban legends hasn't left my mind since i first finished the album! you're right, the production is very similar to it, it's kind of amazing how quickly you put it together! (also, this literally just popped on my recs, and i am living by your analysis so far
Oh, I adore Suburban Legends even if it’s not the most popular 1989 TV vault tracks! So when I heard that sorta sound I was like… HOLD ON! Let me get the microphone out!
I agree with this, completely! Isn't it amazing how our Eljohn gets RIGHT TO THE POINT? Love this, it helps me think about this album.
@@EljohnMacaranas same! it was one of the vault tracks I wanted to listen to the most, and the thing that stuck with me the most was the sound! so yeah, thank you for connecting the dots, having suburban legends in the back of my mind would've driven me insane
@@apphilosophy79haha I legit kinda hate wasting time spanning around and trying to collect thought, maybe on my podcasts haha
@@deliacordero110I put TTPD (the track) on right after Suburban Legends and like to think maybe… those rumors about Taylor hanging with Matty back in 2014 were true (hate to pry on rumors) but if she wrote it back then, then maybe that’s why she chose to bring back that demo and the melody for it!
This album broke my brain
I think she captured it best in the prologue I read last night when I ran to Target for a copy at midnight! It’s very much a manic episode caused by the stresses of being the literal main character and losing a 6 year relationship!
*album breaks records* Eljohn: so I had to give this record a few spins to understand it better
Like listen I’m here for the art NOT the charts (bc Miss Taylor eats it up)
This shit was gonna do numbers regardless cause it’s Taylor. This album, more than any other Taylor album (except maybe the everlore duology) is much more about the lyrics. If you go into this not wanting to engage with it on a deeper level or understand what she’s trying to do or say, you likely won’t like it. It needs to be sat with, analyzed
Love the entire album as a whole. At least 12 songs immediately entered my playlist. But I am very ready for her to move on from Jack Antonoff. He's brilliant, but I'd like the next TS album to explore a new sound.
Agreed. They’ve hit the limit of how far they push each other, at the very least we need a break pls
Im not ready. I love them and Aaron as a band 🥰
I’m also not ready. I’m so happy that I got the similar sound in TTPD! I don’t like changes. I don’t need to be surprised. I prefer staying in a comfort zone. So, my favorite albums are TTPD, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights Tay, Aaron and Jack are using the strategy that works. They don’t need to change anything. They got AOTY with Folklore and Midnights.
That Matty lovebombing rebound relationship is horrible to go from someone who was breadcrumbing her for years and then having fun with someone almost the same way.
Matty was such an unserious person, I’m glad she’s met someone a bit more stable but I do sort of get the mania after seeing something that was comfortable yet flawed get tattered down because it was never the right one
The standard version has grown on me but Antonoff's production is still holding her back imo. For most artists this would be a good album but Taylor showed with Folklore and Evermore that she was capable of greatness. The second half of the double album is the real standout for me and where the concept really clicks.
The second half of the double album (listening but have not recorded my commentary) is so solid!
I agree with the Jack comment. All of the songs he was writing with Taylor lacked depth in the first part of the album and it wasn't his best work in my opinion. I think Aaron killed it! And the 2am version is insanely sad and acoustic and perfect
I think it’s time to ween off Jack and maybe take a little break from that sound, yes it’s commercially big but uhhh…
@@EljohnMacaranasFACTS
I think Jack actually has range (he produces for ALOT of artists, Lana and Lorde specifically) just not for Taylor 💀 (though I would say Gold Rush is pretty unique)
Those few seconds between the bridge and final chorus of Guilty as Sin were incredible
Oh my god I relistened and didn’t even relish it bc of the 31 tracks!!!
Down Bad is definitely giving alien abduction in the best way :-) Also love the screaming in Who's Afraid of Little Old Me
I’m so glad I’m not crazy haha! Also omg the vocals on Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me… I think we have a new Don’t Blame Me
Ok so this is a long comment, sorry to anyone who reads this. This album feels like what wasn’t said on folklore, evermore, and midnights, it’s half fictional, half biographical, all of it well written, I’m not gonna lie, I was really put off by this album by this record since she didn’t clue us in to it being an anthology until it dropped. It returns to some hallmark Taylor imagery and I can’t help but feel that she wanted to reclaim her work and her personal thoughts baked into her work since Reputation. The author as Taylor swift notes her starts off from being the functioning alcoholic from This is me trying on folklore to the male cowboy from Cowboy like me being found dead on some cuts. The mirrorball breaks and the world is shattered but it feels so grown in covered in ivy and yet so warm. Also Clara bow the closer calls back to The last great American dynasty, Invisable string, The lucky one, and Nothing new. Also the line “you look like Taylor swift” feels like the line she wanted to say in invisable string when she says “you look like an American singer” but puts her name sake aside so she doesn’t become this eclipsing a monster on the track, one so she was so ready and describe on Anti hero off midnights. This album at its best feels like the quiet parts not said aloud on midnights and to anyone who wanted midnights to be an anthology like Folklore and evermore this album is definitely for you, how ever given o zoned out 3 times while on first listen I can’t say this her best. The standard edition gets a strong 7.7/10 and will probably age up to like a 9/10
I think it’s cool you have a varied and nuanced opinion of the record, I think it’s a pastiche of all her eras but the darker inkier bits. Midnights felt like the greatest hits that never were made record, this one’s just a deep cut canyon of tracks!
You're getting a job at TTPD with this comment 💀 Read more...
I feel like this album is if Midnights had actually been well-mixed/mastered
No like spill, this one’s really well made.
@@EljohnMacaranas RIGHT?!?! Like, the mixing on Midnights made it feel like she was trying to cosplay as a poor independent artist, but she’s now a billionaire. Just get someone to mix and master the music 😅
@@IcyIndigoLiterally the refinement… Gold Rush was proof she could make expensive sounding music with Jack… like glad she cashed the check!
@@EljohnMacaranas what's mixing?/good mixing? Sorry I'm stupid 😭
@@LimeSlimeee mixing is basically getting the music to sound good (balancing how loud all the tracks are, making sure something isn’t too loud or soft when it shouldn’t be, etc.)
YOURE SWIFT AF BOI
I was up until 3 am hahaha! But I will be taking my time with the Anthology because those tracks are a bit tricky to me. I tried sketching my thoughts last night but I have no real thread to work with (I love seeing what stories and connections she can make!)
This album is going to have to grow on me. But Folklore and Evermore had to grow on me and now they are my fave albums, after Rep of course! My fave songs after a few listens so far are Down Bad, Fresh Out the Slammer, Guilty as Sin, and Who's Afraid of Little Old Me. I'm sure these will change in a couple of months. lol! Love your videos!
I think that’s honestly very fair! Reputation itself took a year and going to a tour for me to love. This one’s sorta giving that with the twists and turns (and how overwhelming it can be.) I personally just had so much I get this in a tragic way 😭 but I cheered when I saw Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? in your fave songs!
This record is definitely amongst Taylors best and no doubt its her most honest and ambitious one yet
Oh for sure, I’ve never imagined her talking so candidly about death, drugs, and dark humor
I also wasted the end of my 20s with a guy who I thought loved me. So long London HURT.
I’m so sorry, I personally ended a long term on and off with someone I’d been seeing since I was like 19 last year (I’m turning 28 soon) so I sorta get it… loml did gut me 😔
Thank you for being so quick! I love listening to thoughtful people talk about this!
And yes, I agree that surprisingly much is about this short summer fling (at least we WANTED it to be just a fling...)....
Thank you for tuning in! I just wanted to open a discussion place that wasn’t Reddit or messy stan twitter! People always give YT comment sections a bad rap but mine tend to be really cool and filled with thoughtful commenters!
@@apphilosophy79I know But Daddy I Love Him is a bit mad at Swifties but let’s be real… Ratty was indeed a crook
And just this: I think that the relationship was so short that it left a somewhat open/poetic/restless impression and one could remeniscence about it - the one with Joe just REALLY ran its course. No poetry left.
@@EljohnMacaranas Both sides were right, I guess. It's not our place to decide about her love-life. But we are allowed to judge people. But anyways. So far, my favorites are fortnight, Florida, Guilty as Sin, Who's afraid of little old me. I have not even listened to the FULL album - and I would have loved, LOVED, to see your stunned expression when you learned that this is indeed a double album! I could not close my effing mouth for a minute, I think! How amazing. (even though I DO agree: it is a better version of midnights, or a depressed and verbose child of folklore/evermore and midnight, and it might be nice if she went back to more country/analogue music. I felt that on "The Bolter"....
This album is definitely a grower like Lover. I feel like this album is a end to something started in Reputation (i mean even the music videos too...)
A hundred percent this reminds me of Reputation down to the fact there’s a call out against Kim 😭 in the anthology
Was waiting for this ❤❤ also can't wait for part 2, the anthology tracks are so complex and layered and deserve a good analysis
I’m definitely taking my time to like relish in it and steep in it a bit! I’m also gonna cover the Fortnight video and give an updated feel of the standard towards the end
@@EljohnMacaranasmakes sense, take your time and we thank you for your quality work!
Thank you for being there! 🤍🪶
That thing you mentioned about Suburban Legends is so funny cause that’s literally the first thing my brain thought of when I heard the title track 😅 But great review especially so fast! TTPD was such an amazing album I absolutely adored everything about it
Suburban Legends is so underrated! Like its DNA is all over the record! But yes, I did not sleep lmaoooooooooo and I still have 15 tracks left to go!
I’m not even a swiftie and I feel like people are being unnecessarily mean and negative about this album! I don’t love every song but I love more than not. I loved your analysis! 👏🏻
I think it’s the fact that Taylor really is at the top of her hame and seems “untouchable.”
Love this analysis of PT 2. Thank you!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you for tuning in! 🤍🤍🤍
Loved your deep dive into this record and noting all the easter eggs and intricate details in her songwriting - she truly is a mastermind - excellent video, ty for sharing!
Thank you so much for watching! There are new things being uncovered every passing day! It’s crazy! We’ll be finding out new things years from now!
@@EljohnMacaranas I love that! Definitely the mark of a fantastic storyteller. Like a great film or tv series where you can watch it a hundred times and still find something new you didn’t notice each time. Looking forward to the next vids! New sub!
my thoughts were so scattered after first listen and watching this video really helped them settle, props to you for getting it out so fast! i really enjoyed hearing your thoughts! you saying down bad is about an alien abduction (it totally is) helped me figure this album out. she’s being (darkly) silly and i was viewing it too seriously. loving it more now in that light!
I think there’s a sassy and silly quality to this record that’s miscolored to everyone who expects the glittery pen earnest Swift she’s always been. Down Bad being about aliens really cracks me up so hard. I don’t think it’s her best record but it’s a stronger record than some people are dismissing it as.
Can’t wait to see your review of the second album
Oh I can’t wait to jot down my thoughts, I’ve only spun that 3 times!
Down Bad definitely is comparing it to an alien abduction. It’s tying back to Snow on the Beach where we got the lyrics “your eyes are flying saucers from another planet”.
It’s insane how vivid and clear the whole metaphor is and how it works!
This is exactly what I needed thank you!!!
Thank you for tuning in!
Love this breakdown thank you!
Thank you for watching 🤍🪶
Your review is really great. I’ve listened to both album parts multiple times (like you, I think that thinking of them as two separate entities makes more sense), and your reads align pretty closely with my interpretations (though I reserve the right to change my mind!). I especially agree with your assessment that this album especially is more of a step forward lyrically than sonically.
Taylor has essentially chosen to be a lyrics first artist over someone who dramatically reinvents as much as she did say a decade ago. That’s not to say she’ll be stagnant sonically forever but it’s clear Swifties are here for it and will follow her anywhere. As for the albums being separate entities, I fully agree just bc of how disparate the two are. It’d be unfair to penalize or reward each side for the other’s qualities. The Anthology is clearly sorta an unofficial part 3 to Folkmore while the standard feels like a Red-Midnights hybrid.
This is such an excellent breakdown 👏
Thank you so much! I’m in process of recording the second half’s video and I have to say… I’m so glad this record exists!
I was SO surprised how much the album was about Matty in my opinion. I wanted the songs to fit the breakup with Joe so bad, but I couldn’t deny it after listening several times. lol as an English major this album is just chefs kiss for me, this was so raw! My heart broke for our girl, I want to give her a big hug. 😫
I feel like Midnights covered a lot of the Joe breakup in retrospect. This one is just so… literary and magical. I genuinely do wish her all the healing but she seems happier nowadays!
Omg, yes, at first listen I wanted all songs to fit Joe (except for So High School and maybe a few others), but the more I listen to this album, the more I realized it has a lot of tracks about Matty, I got confused because of the title, knowing Joe had that group chat with his friends, for a rebound I was surprised, maybe Joe cheated like some songs imply so she refused to give him more songs?, who knows? Anyway, I'll let other swifties decode which song is for who, I'll just enjoy such a good album
I NEED PART 2! no sleep was had last nightttttttt 😂🎉
Part 2 is coming… I need to sleeeeeeeep and also really sit down with it
I love your analysis. I loved Midnights, but this album is growing on me.
Thank you so much! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Best review of her new album I've seen so far! 👌
Thank you so much!!!! 🤍🪶
For me it's a 6/10 album, my fav songs are also loml, So long London, Florida!!! Loved this video btw 🤍
Thank you for watching and I’m glad to have various different takes, I think work that’s unanimously praised or disliked tends to yield the most boring conversations
I’ve listened to the album for three weeks now. I was astonished to hear how much of it was based on a relationship that seemed to last just a couple of weeks, but when I learned it was a 10 year “what if?” relationship, the impact became much deeper for me. Especially since he was a long time friend. Basically she lost a good friend, a lover, a confidant, and her sort of hip pocket, maybe someday, all at once. After three weeks listening to this album, sonically it has been a grower for me. Also I’m another lit girl with an enormous vocabulary, so I love her spinning out those dense lyrics.
10 years is honestly an insane timeline! It’s tragic it ended up the way it did which explains the cutting nature of the record. I agree the language on this one’s just astoundingly good!
I listened to it this morning and had this weird feeling after finishing it. Like something was not quite right, not Taylor Swift-like. After giving it a few listens it did grew on me. I think I was just shocked by how extremely dark it is. It´s just a dark, sad BREAK UP album without much hope or optimism, just a few raw love songs about her new love with Travis here and there. Although I love love looove folklore and so many tracks from this new album, I´ll always be a glitter gel pen girly... They just always do it for me. I felt it when "I can do it with a broken heart" first came on. Songs like these catch me more on a first listen. I still loved this album. It felt a little flat on a first listen but more and more interesting and special when I looked up the lyrics and just listened to it through my day. So far my favorite songs are Clara Bow, So Long, London, Who´s afraid of a little old me, I can do it with a broken heart and actually Fortnight! I also loved The Albatross, Peter, The Bolter and imgonnagetyouback. Loved your video!
This has to be her bleakest work to date. And yesssss this album made me realize maybe I’m not a Quill kinda guy, I missed the glitter gel pen! I Can Do it With a Broken Heart oddly made me love this one more! Thank you so much for watching and your thoughts! 🪶🤍
aka. A slightly up-tempo version of a Lana Del Rey album (I kid you not).
Watch her make a glitter pen album next about travis 💀
@@LimeSlimeeeoh, just based on the couple Travis songs on this album, they’re gonna be the glitteriest glitter pen songs to ever glitter
@@EljohnMacaranasI agree on the bleakness. I love the album but I can’t picture myself revisiting the album as a whole product very often. I’ve only listened to it once all the way through (the first half twice and Anthology once). It’s excelent but it is A LOT
i think this has been her most brave work yet. she had some purpose to write this album. i have been hating midnights for a while now but she just didn’t rly have anything to write about on midnights or talk about. this album had so many references she expanded produces and the soundscape. she also i feel like had a lot to respond to. Like i think this album was a response to fans going hyper crazy and hyper analyzing her, and joe and matty healy like this album is crazy in the fact that she didn’t care atp and she was just writing aimlessly about her experiences she has and hadn’t had yet. fortnight was the best way to open up the album because it sets a scene that this album is not an easy listen AT ALL. it’s probably her most challenging listen yet. I’m in love with both half’s of this album it’s such an era. after some more time with third album it might dethrone red for my personal album ranking this could honestly be my favorite album ever because of the complexity of this record both standard and anthology love the video!
Thank you so much and after a whole day with just the Anthology and coming back to the standard, this definitely feels like a corrective step. In one way to alleviate how Midnights was mid to many long term lyric heavy listeners but in another to cut the parasocial and crazy fans who treat her like a literal God 😭
You did the best job describing this album! It wasn’t designed to be commercial, she just is a juggernaut. Omg the Patti Smith reference, a poet and authentic artist. This album was brought to you by words!
I think it's great we're getting a writer's first record. It's not ever going to be the favorite record for most but it's definitely a brave entry into her canon.
Really nice break down!
Thank you! 🤍🪶
I have found it so interesting that many hardcore fans love this album and the people who only came around during eras tour don't like it as much. For someone like me, who has grown up with Taylor and just entered her 30s, I am in love with this album. It's so emotional and raw and honest in a way that Taylor hasn't been before. This album is for her and one that she needed but she wants to share it with her. Unexpectedly, this is probably the best Jack and Taylor work I have heard. This album made me realize that I liked Midnights but damn if I didn't love this album. As someone who loves The Lucky One and The Last Great American Dynasty I *loved* Clara Bow. The switch at the end was so unexpected and heartbreaking which also brings us back to Nothing New. This industry isn't for the weak and it can hurt people with thick skin. Going from The Lucky One where Taylor was the new girl in town and now realizing that she's the industry it girl was so beautiful to me.
I honestly think this was a weed out test. Not to act holier than thou, but I have been with this woman thick and thin through hellfire and brimstone and golden eras, so this record affected me because she's never been THIS candid. I'm glad she did a record for herself. Clara Bow itself is so kind to herself and to the future starlets out there. I'm so glad she realized she is The Lucky One. It just took her like 12 years to get to that point of self-realization.
This is the exact reason I watch these videos! I’m invested enough to know certain lyrics are affecting me or painting a picture but not smart enough to articulate why that picture is or what it’s making me feel. These videos from much more cleaver people help me place and validate my musings. Thank you
Thank you so much! I’m honored to have helped paint in the colors but I def have to thank Taylor for giving me real food for thought! 🤍🪶✒️
Well I must say I'm impressed!!!Excellent song writing ✍️ 😅 😊
She’s really a once in a generation talent!
I didn;t listen to the album yet and I don't plan in near future. But i am always here for your videos!
Thank you so much 🤍🤍🤍 looking forward to your thoughts!
This album definitely has a The National vibe with all the experimental writing and emo Taylor moments, like reading her private diary entries. I love the intimacy and candid expressions and imagery she uses like The Albatross... so beautiful
Oh I have my video on that in the editing stage and I have so many thoughts on how allegorical and archetypical that half of the record is. Like it’s almost criminal it cannot be its own album and era.
I think my personal description of the album as a slightly up-tempo version of a Lana Del Rey album may not be far off the truth. Swift's singing voice her has a much narrower vocal range compared to many of her previous albums (even on the Anthology tracks), and I wouldn't put it above Del Rey herself to do a cover of one of these tracks from the new album(s).
Apparently… Lana is doing Snow on the Beach tonight and perhaps Taylor Swift is showing up to Coachella to sing with her 👀
I remember hearing folklore for the first time in a huge hotel bathroom with shit sound and i was like "what the hell is this?" And dropped it for a few weeks. Then i saw all the hype by swifties and picked it up again, put up the lyric videos on yt and was OBSESSED. I learned from my mistake and listened to ttpd with good headphones and i love the spund but its a bit repetitive/subtle in the differences between songs. Love Florida!!! Though because florences sound is just so EPIC and taylor need to lean into this soundscaping!!!
Like the production on Florida!!! is genuinely inspired. Also the nice headphones comment is so real. I finally got to listen to it on nice equipment and it shines so much better.
People have been ripping taylor apart on social media saying she's making fun of Joe's depression, attacking Kim's childern, and playing the victim when she's the one to blame for her love life even though I disagree with all those false statements. I hope she starts being more low key in the future just for awhile her personal life has overshadowed the music same with ariana and how eternal sunshine was somewhat eclipsed by the drama with her love life I'm sure both these records will get their flower's when the hate has died down but taylor has just been getting slaughtered from it seems like every section of social media which I don't think she expected
I think there’s a lot of reading miscomprehension in a way to start up another apocalypse bc the media has nothing better to do. I agree with Grande as well. Her best record in years! Overshadowed by personal life drama!
Thats how I would rate it to! Not my favourite album of hers but I am a literary nerd so I was very impressed with the lyrical content and how she was so brutally honest.
I think it’s a strong record but not quite the gut punch Red or Folklore or 1989 were for me initially.
@@EljohnMacaranas oh 100% red will always be my favorite Taylor album
I absolutely adore the Anthology
I’ve listened like 2x and I already like it a bunch more than the standard
in my understanding, in Clara Bow, each first verse that starts with "you look like..." is actually from a pov of a label executive talking to a young female artist & the second verses that start with "I'm not trying to exaggerate.." is from the pov of the young girl being told all those things, while the bridge is the pov of Taylor herself warning those young girls, as she also used to be like them, and heard similar things
Yeah that lines up pretty well. The Olivia Rodrigo edits to it are insane
you hit clara bow so good! i’m so glad! i really didn’t like how people were thinking that it was about Olivia Rodrigo as a dig on her like nooooo please
It’s much more than some silly little diss, it’s a legacy appraisal. Olivia has her own name and life to build (and I think she’s actually doing a great job) but this ain’t about her! No matter how cool people edit tiktoks for clout lol
I listened in the wee hours this morning......I'm not feeling this album. Hopefully after a few relistens I warm up to it a bit. I can totally understand the album, it's just not for me. Enjoy!
I think that’s fair! I’d definitely give the Anthology tracks a listen though! As scattered as they are narratively, some of her best songs are on there!
@@EljohnMacaranas I am really agreeing with your statement about the lyrical density similarities to something like Lana's music...which i tend to not enjoy either. I can appreciate the poeticism and storytelling aspects, but I think I'm much more of a diehard popboy who prefers lyrics to be succinct, short and sweet, with sprinklings of density for effect. this is definitely excellent work from her, it's just not the kind of music i'd be putting on my playlists for repeat listens.
@@kylereddellthank you so much for the lovely words! And yes, I definitely love sanded down clean pop! I get having that machined feel of a refined and mastered pop gem! I know she still has it in her but I guess she put that pen down for a hot second.
I think the album is ok. Folklore and evermore was so refreshing when we got them, they had great production and storytelling. TTPD is not an album I am claiming on repeat. I still think her early work was her best because the lyrics was so easy to connect to, now I find her lyrics are so hard to connect with that I can’t vibe to the songs. Huge swift fan here but it’s a no
I saw a few people note this is her first truly unrelatable record and I think that might be very true. The specificity of the songs and her emotions definitely make this a unique piece. It does come at a clear cost but I do think this is a necessary reset for her. Like I think this is her first sorta “selfish” record.
This is an adult’s album as she is now and although I’m a new fan so glad she’s gone deep. Manuscript is achingly beautiful. Then again I grew up on Joni Mitchell and really do like the artist that drags you through the depths of experience.
She was channeling Joni by way of Lana by way of herself which is insane to me.
I love how Taylor decided to focus on the lyrics of this album, rather than the sounds. Like at points it literally feels like spoken word over music, but she does it so well. There’s so much content in each song as well, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s there, it’s a masterpiece.
I think the sounds themselves on the Anthology are purposeful leitmotifs from previous records upcycled to evoke and end storylines!
I was so confused what the concept was at first but the music only made me somewhat understand
Her prologue and epilogue sorta made it make sense: this isn’t really a break up record but an episode of mania post a deep loss of a long relationship that caused her to split from so much of herself and her situationship.
Ngl I was also not happy at first listen. Only some songs stood out but after few listens it finally grew on me. It’s giving me the Slut! Or Positions album vibe where I kinda don’t feel it at first but after more re listen something just clicks. Anthology, oh Aaron and Taylor, thank u for reliving my FolkMore heart
The second half (video is in progress) ate it up like I’m glad to finally share my thoughts on it… maybe tomorrow!
I loved this album. I wouldn’t say I’m a die hard fan. But I fell in love with folklore and evermore during the pandemic. Since then I’ve loved to see her growth. I didn’t really like midnights. This album was refreshing to me. I think you kinda have to know abt her life in order to understand some parts. But overall even if I couldn’t relate directly, I felt like she was pulling me in. She was telling me the story and I couldn’t wait to turn the page.
I'm glad to see it! I also thought Midnights was a step in a direction I didn't really care too much for (though I was glad to see it be successful!) I do think the lack of relatable stuff makes it distinctly unique, even with Reputation people could still cling onto bigger feelings. Here, it's so nuanced and specific to her...
I Love this album it feels like rep,midnight and folklore had a baby I need to listen to it again so I can remember the song lol, and I still need to the deluxe version I heard black dog but I’m gonna relisten to it,my favorite songs is fortnight and who is afraid of little old me .
Love your picks! I think that's the best descriptor I've seen in terms of the albums it's made of!
@@EljohnMacaranas fr
Also her use of long words in songs like But Daddy I Love Him is very reminisncent of the 1975 like Matty has songs called Loving Someone & The Sound where he uses long words and also some of the songs soind like The 1975 songs like Fortnight & The Tortured Poets Department.
Wait, I just put those on and I see it! Damn even mimicking the songstyle to get her points across 😭
To people saying the album is bland im really confused because what do you want exactly . You think this is bland and folklore isn't bland???in fact the album is all over the place similarly to red. On first listen i can say confidently it's her best album by far(the standard edition ending with clara bow). This is what red wishes it was. This is what everyone thinks red is . I went in a trans listening to this it all felt like a fever dream
I wouldn’t go so far to call it better than Red but this is basically her equivalent to Red post losing her masters
@@EljohnMacaranas it might be just personal preference but bland isn't a usable word next to this album .there were so many people commenting it and i had to speak😂
Right. Red is one of my favs, but this record is easily better than red in personality and depth even in aesthetics and sound. And I don't get how folklore and evermore is superior to this album.... I consider Ivy as evermore's best song and literally half of the anthology song out wrote it. Lyrically this album is leagues above everything she put out. And I can tell that people don't like quill pen songs as much as I do, but y'all should've known! She has been teasing it forever.
@@Fucorii completely agree ivy is also my favorite song on evermore and i personally prefer evermore over folklore (folklore is just too monotone for me) but ttpd is just next level i think i still have lingering effects from hearing😂
Okay - so i really liked the album. also some of my favs on the standard are antonoff produced ones, so lmao. I love whos afraid, my boy, florida, guilty as sin, i can do it and clara bow. i think the sound is distinct enough from midnights, but lies in the same universe. but like you said, its a lifeline album, one she needed to put out to process the past few years of her life which is why the lyrical content is so rich. in fact i think she has taken risks in her songwriting to a huge degree here. also 31 tracks does seem like a huge number to actually listen to and internalise, so i will actually be able to form concrete opinions only after a week i think lmao because my brain is close to mush rn so im only able to focus on the sonics (which are pretty good imo). but i wouldnt say that the quailty of her work has declined in any manner, in fact i can see some sounds that i would want her to explore further on subsequent records. and so highschool> the alchemy lol
The Alchemy has to be one of her all-time worst songs I hate to say it, just because of its boringness. II do think that the record was a necessary risk. I feel like 31 tracks was just too much and I hope she never does that sort of thing again just because it takes away from the ability to digest. The novelty is great and I'm grateful we got it but it's just a nightmare for people to really treasure each individual piece.
@@EljohnMacaranas come on, I think stay stay stay is worse than the alchemy lmao. A few of the lyrics seem too on the nose in the alchemy imo which kinda brings me out of it. Agreed on a 31 track album being a lot to handle - I feel like she had to dump all this out before moving on to a different phase in her life, given how closely songwriting is to her emotional state. Like her closing the door on this huge part of her life, leaving it behind. But its honestly not a bad album even when just looking at the standard version idk why everyone and their mother on Twitter hates it so much.
While it's definitely Midnights' sister and Folklore's cousin, you can see the fingerprints from ALL the former eras in at least one track-even debut in Daddy I Love Him. Tangent, but I read that song specifically as a religious trauma song
I think Daddy I Love Him could be expressed that way too that's a neat read. I feel like the album's proximity to the Eras tour is both handy for people looking to make connections but also a turn off to people who expected something different.
“This album is a grower” and it just came out 😭
Oh you can tell on the first listen if something is gonna take time 😭 like with Evermore day 1 I was like… oh yah lemme hold off saying anything definitive
@@EljohnMacaranas i regret not doing that cuz my opinion on every single track has changed 😭
Oh I know my ass is gonna regret not putting some as my faves in the recording
This album is overhated for no reason. It's a decent record if you care about the music instead people focus on her and the lore surrounding it and take lyrics out of context. Sad to see that!
I’m shocked it’s getting the overcorrection treatment… like everyone (in the media) wants to put the genie back in the bottle after the stunning year she had last year
I know right!!!!? The media constantly posts about her for clicks and engagement and turn back around and says that we are having " Taylor fatigue "
Always look forward to your TS reviews. Honestly much like Midnights on first listen, I am really not feeling the standard version of the album, I personally am not fan of evermore/folklore and this album is if both of them had a child with with Midnights that was sarcastic, short tempered, and unafraid of not being PG-13. It is once again an album focused on relationships but mostly with quiet whispery songs compared to some of the unique sounds we got from Midnights like Midnight Rain, Maroon, and Labyrinth. I kinda prefer Midnights as a breakup album but its more of an album for a recent breakup whereas TTPD feels more like a breakup album about an old ex though with a focus more on Matty Healy based on using him for the title. I am a bit baffled at some Swifties' suprise of her including hints of Matty and Travis in the album since OBVIOUSLY she was going to include them but I was kinda hoping the album would pick up in the end with an upbeat Lovers like song instead of Taylor still sounding overall moody. Overall much like everyone else I really was hoping for something more sonically different from Taylor, I appreciate some of the works that she and Jack has made but after 5 albums its starting to get old.
I agree so hard with this being a Midnights/Folkevermore fusion with an attitude. I do think that TTPD's way of being a breakup album is challenging in the sense it really doesn't seem to linger on Joe but rather the aftermath and Matty Healy. I think the two obvious Travis tracks are a mixed bag (though So High School is much stronger.) I do think sans I Can Do It With A Broken Heart this one's really meant to be this dready dark sort of thing that feels antithetical. I agree with Jack not being a main producer on the next record. Yes, they make commercially viable things together but it's getting stale.
I loved also ❤who is afraid of little of me, a career high indeed 😊
If she replaced Don’t Blame Me with it on the Eras tour as the vocal showcase… I would not mind
Gypsy Rose listening to Fresh Out The Slammer like 😲
I’ve been laughing for 4 whole minutes, thank you so much I haven’t chuckled this hard in weeks 😭🤭😂
This album is the healing album, post the breakup. and all the chaos that happens in the years after.
Midnights definitely in hindsight feels like a proper Joe breakup record now, just narratively even if it was hidden in plainsight. 💯 on this being aftermathy
YESSS!!! ❤❤❤
Aaah we love to see ya back in the comments! 🤍
Okay hear me out I like Taylor but this album mostly sounds flat (to me ). And fresh out of the slamer just remids me of Lana Del Ray and Summertime Sadness too much 😢 It just feels as if she were cosplaying her lyrically and sonically from her early days (you cant always blame Jack Antonoff). Anyways so far London is my favorite track.
I think that’s a fair assessment, the production despite being improved on a technical level (for me at least) didn’t have the variation I’d expect on the standard. The Anthology fixes that for me a bit.
I hate to say this but if she keeps treading down this path of bloating her tracklists with some great songs in a sea of mid then she's gonna be the popstar version of Drake🫣. She. needs. a. damn. editor. This album is bloated (and not in an artistically intentional way) but in a way destined to pull the highest possible streaming numbers. She couldn't edit it down to a strong standard tracklist? Other than that Antonoff's style is getting stale and I fear she's retreading melodies from past albums. Her lyrics are alright but could use some edting. Still, So Long London, loml and some of the anthology tracks are career highlights. I just wish I didn't have to wade through mid to get there.
I don't disagree. I think even as early as Lover, she's sort of needed an editor's eye to ensure the tracklistings do work well. I think the standard should have some of the Anthology and vice versa because the Standard feels so weak after I listened to the Anthology all day today.
@@EljohnMacaranas exactly! The Anthology is so good it only served to highlight the flaws of the main album. Tbh, if I were Antonoff, I'd be embarrassed because the Aaron songs are receiving acclaim across the board but his...ehhhhhhhh
It's like this is Taylor's version of Emma Stone's performance in Poor Things. Dark and twisted. Vulnerable. Avant garde. Raw. Somber yet comedic. Definitely not for everyone.
Agreed, there’s some really cool parallelism in imagery. Bella from that movie and Taylor both had to grow up so quickly!
Love your thoughts on TTPD, and so swiftly, too ;) I agree with your rating and also enjoyed all the interesting “aha” moments throughout my first couple of listens. I absolutely love the tracks with Post Malone and Florence-both really incredible artists in their own right who add an additional facet to Swift’s hurt and recollections. And I had to pick my jaw up off the ground with The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. A+++ track delivering a well deserved evisceration for Ratty, indeed. Makes me think John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal actually got off somewhat easy in comparison 😅 I don’t even know what my favorite track is since I’m still sort of processing it all. Top of mind are Fortnight, Florida!!!, So Long London, But Daddy I Love Him, I Can Fix Him, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, loml…I mean, that’s like half the album and I also loved the rest so…yeah. It’s such an emotional journey through tragedy and biting commentary to absurd lol moments. And I love the call out to the holier than thou part of the fandom that expects her to be the model of perfection and grace at all times lest she burn at the stake. Of course she’s not beyond criticism, but some really take it to another level. And as a Jack defender, I still really love his production but I respect that some want a switch up. I love the album as is, and of course Aaron is God tier, too, since I’ve loved The National for years and was so excited when they first paired up in the Folkmore era. I feel like we get the best of both worlds with Jack and Aaron involved, but I know what you mean about the potential for a different take like a return to country roots. Anyway, sorry I always write waaaay too much but I was excited to see your video and always appreciate your perspective! Cheers!
Thank you so much! I've had so much fun really combing through the tracks and the Anthology has me writing quite a bit about the connections and sounds between this record and the other ones! Oh The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived has to be one of my favorite like 34 year old Taylor doesn't pull any punches and RIGHTFULLY so! I think I can't narrow it down to a favorite at the moment! It's tough but I love your picks as well! I have to say I'm so glad she set up a barrier with those parasocial vultures who think her life is some storybook they get to write in and annotate and say what is canon or not. She has her issues at times but she's human and I believe she does mean well most of the time. And YES! I do think Jack needs to go for the next record. I think Aaron is a great collaborator but I'd love for her to branch out and try something and someone new. Maybe even return to country. Don't feel bad about writing and THANK YOU SO MUCH for the lovely words and the Super Thanks! Cheers to an amazing release week!
I’m a big Taylor fan but tbh at first I found it really long and kinda difficult to listen in full… it’s grown on me now and I’m liking it a lot, it kinda reminds me of Red but with Midnights’ production. It’s very wordy and chaotic, I think it will grow on me even more in the following days of listening! Favs at the moment: my boy only breaks his fav toys, so long London, down bad, fresh out the slammer, guilty as sin?, but daddy I love him, Loml, fortnight, I can do it w a broken heart. Least favs: who’s afraid of little old me, the smallest man who ever lived… I still have to listen to the anthology in detail, but I really love Chloe or Sam or Sophie or Marcus, I look in people’s windows, and so high school (it reminds me of a 00s movie rom-com theme). I think I’m liking the standard edition more than the anthology so far tho
It’s too much to really go out and have a solid opinion on. I find myself consistently revising my own thoughts on the standard. The Anthology took me a whole day to listen to, mainly because the standard exhausted me so much!
@@EljohnMacaranas yeah I’m kinda starting to reevaluate shorter albums: more concise and with no room for fillers. Tbh I’m glad dua’s and Billie’s new releases have 10/11 tracks
I think Melodrama, one of my fave albums of all time was just a clean 11!
you made this so fast
This is just the first 16 tracks (and I did not sleep lmao, which is not too bad bc I can sleep all weekend)
"I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day." going to be my mantra for the whole year
Literally considering getting it made into a custom T-Shirt before my own birthday next week lmao
The production on this one really feels like a mishmash of the styles on all the Joe era records. Hopefully TS 12 will be a full genre change.
I think it’s hopefully a conclusion to that sort of soundscape which has served her well but I do think it’s time to close that chapter
It's the Jack Antonoff synths 😭 but he kinda ate in this one, definitely better than Midnights
Midnights sounded sorta cheap compared to some of this 💀
This is the album that was the next step after folklore and evermore midnights is pretty much a greatest hits album like thats what u think a Taylor swift album would sound like this is what a Taylor swift album at this point in her career is like
That's how I felt about Midnights tbh like in terms of Glittery Gel Pen, this was the Quill and Fountain Pen equivalent.
I think that Midnights was made to hype the Eras Tour and for her to have more dancy pop material for it. But after Folklore and Evermore I think this is how a "natural" Taylor Swift album would sound.
I think on some of the songs, i couldn't find the melody...does that make sense? Like, I didn't know what direction a song was turning, but in a bad way. Can't explain it.
I think it’s really the weight of the words blocking the pathway to conventional pop melody. It also doesn’t help Jack’s production washes things out at times.
@EljohnMacaranas well, I wouldn't call it that... I didn't want glittery gel pen pop, I just wanted some of the songs to stop teetering off in strange (in my opinion) directions. Damn, I wish I could explain this better! I couldn't enjoy the songs that went on and on in a straight line; there was music and lyrics, but the way it was constructed, a song would sound like 3 different ideas or melodies put together.
FINALLY
Listen… *miss americana voice* it’s been a long time coming!
I love the more acoustic songs on this album and some of the ones that sounded more like Red
Oh hands down the back half fits that!
honestly i loved this record so much. my only complaint is that some of the songs sound too similar to each other and its hard to distinguish between them (this is more so a problem with the first half of the standard edition). The pop sound somehow sounds new yet very familiar, idk how else to describe it. this album is so messy in its lyrical content and subject matter and some songs feel like watching a live manic episode, but thats what attracted me to the album. this album is so self aware yet delusional, and funny at the same time its genuinely amazing. this album is also kinda horny and down bad and its kinda interesting to see that side of taylor.also just have to side track and say that so long london probably has her most beautiful opening to any song of her. fortnight was unfortunately a skip for me, but every other song is wonderful!! down bad, guilty as sin, fresh out the slammer and florida did not need to go that hard. but daddy i love his is so unserious i love it. i can do it with a broken heart is so unexpectedly camp and im living for it, its giving barbie 2023 met 1989 tv vault. who's afraid of little old me is my favourite off the album, its lyrically the best and that bridge is her best on this album (imo) also yhe chorus screaming who's afraid of little old me sent chills. loml broke my heart in ways i cant describe. clara bow breaking the 4th wall was not on my bingo list for 2024. overall very cohesive work from her which is an instant classic and a grower at the same time. also a very well told story and an entertaining one at that too. 8/10 though the bonus tracks make it a 10/10 for me.
I feel like the self-aware but delulu nature of the record is the realest Swift has ever been in quite some time. I always felt like Midnights was too polished and distant for me to really cling to it. It's insanely horny and messy. So Long London genuinely is one of my faves. The tracks you picked speak to that unhinged level and I Can Do it With A Broke Heart should have been on the Barbie soundtrack. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? is probably one of the future all-timers for me. I think the bonus tracks MAKE the record and I can't wait to give them their due diligence.
@@EljohnMacaranasi do agree that midnights was too safe and polished. also sidenote but the anthropology is what i expected the standard to sound like. it makes the evermore stan inside of me so happy. anthropology ftw. this album is for the history books. i feel like itll be *THE TAYLOR SWIFT ALBUM*
It is interesting how lyric-forward this record was, in comparison to her entire discography, given that she is first and foremost a songwriter. The lyrics and storytelling was just at the complete forefront of everything in with this body of work and it's so interesting how the first 7 songs almost work as a continuation of Midnights production-wise (*stares at Jack Antonoff production in synths*) and Florida!!! kinda functioned as a very prominent divider for the record, imo. I really hope that TTPD is THE bookmark of Taylor's career, marking the end of the Lover house eras and the start of something where she feels so comfortable with her writing that she will be willing to experiment with her sound and take it nowhere we're seen it before... in other words: I AM HOPING FOR THE ROCK ALBUM.
We need the Rock Album NOW! Like I wanted Hits Different and So High School as the backbone to a record honestly!
I’m not sure how I feel about this album - I think she sounded so much like LDR it was distracting. I appreciate the lyrics and I love the beginning of So Long London.
I think there's a lot to unpack but the Lana influence in terms of construction and looseness for some of it can be really jarring.
solving the mysteries upon which Swift’s universe is built-the identity of her muses, the uncertainty as to whether “folklore” and its follow-up “evermore” are based on real events. Following this train of thought, Swift’s and Healy’s combined three-hundred-and-fifty-plus-song discography leaves at least twenty-two thousand one hundred and ninety-four possible combinations of track overlays for fans to manically work through, in order to answer the biggest question posed by “T.T.P.D.”: Was Matty Healy the main character all along?
I wouldn’t call him the main character (still Taylor) but he played a far more significant role in the story than we ever thought he’d have. I think there’s some cool interplay and maybe the Folklore love triangle may have been a bit more non fiction than we thought it was. Even without the context, the songs are excellent but the whole living history thing makes it very tempting to read the text further.
The fact that the majority of this record is about the rebound guy, is sending me! Is he really the devil?! Anyway, I don't think I'm gonna listen to the second part for a couple of weeks, cause I know the standard is gonna be my new obsession. I love this. There are so many cool new ideas that she explores sonically without diverging too much from her sound. The clear standouts were definitely Florida, Who's afraid of little old me, and the gut wrenching and beautiful So long London. But also so many more songs, it makes u wonder, why she chose fortnight as the lead, which imo is one of the weakest in the album, and a weird opener. If I have one critique overall, is that her writing motifes have started to get a little monotonous lately, especially in the verses and pre-choruses. Almost every song reminds me of parts of other songs from her previous 3 albums and 1989 vault tracks. And I know it has been said, but I do think that the production at times could be more dynamic and explosive. But there are also brilliant moments, so I don't complain much. Thank u for putting your analysis out so early, I'd be lost with the lyrical themes without you 💜
Aaaah love to see you in the comments again! I genuinely needed to take a whole day off of listening to Swift because 31 tracks caused my brain to turn to mush but I’m starting to really adore the standard as much as the Anthology which was just an overall smash to me! I will say the writing becoming a bit too circular may be owed to just the amount of output she’s had. It’s already bad she has new music out but rereleasing her earlier works will further expose her hallmarks and tropes to the point the novelty gets lost.
Have you seen that she did include these songs into the aforementioned playlists?
Oh… that’s perfect! I need to relisten now!
I wonder if she's gonna do lyric videos like she did with her other albums. I'll admit I enjoy those. But I'm a lyricist, so . . . 🤷♀️
Oh this video was a nightmare to make because there were no lyric videos to draw visuals from! I had to really search up the photoshoot and screencap the lines I wanted to emphasize which was fun but exhausting! I need the lyric videos Taylor Nation!!!
@@EljohnMacaranas Good news! I assume you already know this, but they put up all the official lyric videos last night! This should make your coverage of the second part of the album much easier. 😊
I'm hoping that this album will make TS12 and Rep TV completely different!!
I think it’s long overdue and her saying she was closing a chapter implies the next one will sound very different!
I think this is one of Taylor’s BEST projects to date.
the edge lyric in Clara Bow screams Olivia Rodrigo ...
Oh I saw a beautiful edit for that and the “edge” line makes me think that too
@@EljohnMacaranas hope our girlies can reconcile if the falling out rumors are true ❤️🩹
Honestly sooner than later like c’mon!
I thought But Daddy I Love Him was about Travis. It seemed like it was. Because throughout the song she said but daddy I love him, and at the end she said and my daddy just loves him, in present tense. But I would like to hear from your perspective, what about it makes you feel like it’s written about her response to the fans not accepting her relationship with Matty.
I think it’s both in the sense, current performances are contextualized that way but in the sequencing of the story… it’s also about that odd summer where Swifties went too far and did that insane “Speak Up Now”
SO I will edit this once I listen to the bonus songs. But I can't. Florida! is the only song I absolutely love. I had my issues with 1989 TV and now this too. Her melodies weren't amazing but they had their moments. But. Mr. Jack. Antonoff. His. Production. Is. Holding. Her. Back. There were a few new sounds. But so much of it reminded me of Midnights with the darker synths and those beats. Then the slower songs I tended to appreciate more since production doesn't need to carry as much. Her songwriting is the only part of the album I admire. Like usual, she killed it. I do love Midnights, most of Folklore, and half of Evermore. So, this is really the only new album I just don't enjoy. If we compare Lover, Rep, and 1989, I can confidently say that they all have different pop sounds. 1989 is like a modern twist on some 80s elements, Rep definitely has a darker tone, and Lover is so light (don't really know how else to describe it lol). Whereas, this album doesn't add much of a new sound when comparing to these or even Midnights. Eternal Sunshine and Cowboy Carter are so spectacular that those just really emphasize how much I am disappointed with this, because out of the three, I prefer Taylor. I do think it is just Jack at this point. I know Lana fans complain about him and how that has impacted her recent works like DYKTTATUOB and COTCC, but I don't feel like he's holding her back as much as he does with Taylor? I don't know how to explain it. Please know I have nothing against Taylor, it just hurts me I am not liking her recent music.
I think that's fair but the Anthology will really rectify a few of your concerns, it's just a shame it had to come as a surprise.