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Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poet's Department - album discussion thread

499 replies

OldHabitsDieScreaming · 18/04/2024 10:58

Hello Swifties! Thought I would start a thread to chat about TS11 or TTPD or whatever we're calling it 😁Don't know about you but the excitement is building for this old-enough-to-know-better Swiftie and I'll be taking the long way into work tomorrow so I can listen to it in Peace...(see what I did there?)

So this thread is for anyone who loves TS and wants to talk/think/muse/swoon over the newest output from the hardest-working woman in music!

Personally I'm intrigued and delighted that Aaron Dessner seems to have co-writing credits on several tracks - I'm a committed Folklore/Evermore fan and more in a similar vein will be very welcome!

(Oh, and while hopefully this doesn't need saying, please don't bother posting to say how shit/overrated/talentless you think TS is. This is a fan / appreciation thread about a specific piece of work and it would be lovely to keep it that way.)

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SummaLuvin · 18/04/2024 11:32

I'm very cautiously excited. I adored the visuals for Midnights and I am a sucker for a concept album so I was so so excited, but it missed the mark for me. It is probably my least favourite album of Taylors. While it absolutely has gems in there and some stunning lyrics, at times I felt the songwriting was lazy and designed specifically to be good TikTok sound bites. Not bashing Taylor, I'm a big fan, and that's why I was disappointed. And it's why I'm a little nervous ahead of tomorrow. The strong Dessner presence makes me hopeful, the two of them together make incredible music. This will be my 9th album release as a fan, so not my first rodeo!

OldHabitsDieScreaming · 18/04/2024 11:56

I can see where youre coming from re: Midnights - it's up there for me but I'm a relatively new fan so the newer stuff tends to be where I gravitate to anyway. Visuals are indeed stunning and tracks like Maroon, YOYOK etc are faves, but in some ways it's not as coherent as other albums.

Interesting point about tiktok soundbites - my respect for her integrity as a songwriter is enormous but equally I agree that she knows damn well where those catchy, hooky little phrases will end up!

I need to apologise for the errant apostrophe in the album title btw...

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beguilingeyes · 18/04/2024 12:02

This seems to have come round very quickly. I am seriously excited.

toastofthetown · 18/04/2024 12:03

I’m also warily excited about TTPD. I loved the imagery of Midnights and like Summa love a concept album, but other than a few tracks (Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve), the album was a huge miss for me. And I’ve been a fan since Fearless, so it’s not like I only expect folklore/evermore vibes from her. My biggest concern is the turn around time. Midnights isn’t that old, there have been the rerecordings, Eras AND a new album. I hope that means the album ends up feeling incomplete.

I’m and evermore stan, so the Dessner presence excites me. I love him and Taylor together and I feel like he really pushes Taylor. I don’t want to hate on Jack, because he has produced some absolute bangers (Getaway Car for example), but I only liked one track he produced on Midnights. The rest were fine to downright bad for me.

user8800 · 18/04/2024 12:05

Can't wait!!!!

SlowlyLurking · 18/04/2024 12:09

I've heard one of the leaked songs but I haven't gone searching for more. I'm going to put my headphones on & listen to the whole thing on Spotify on my way to appointments tomorrow.

toastofthetown · 18/04/2024 12:13

I also hope that this time she releases a standard album, an album with bonus tracks released on release day and let that be it. Midnights as an album is a bit of a mess. Even leaving aside all the remixes, there isn’t one version of the album which has every Midnights track on it. My friend who is a Swiftie, but not online, wasn’t aware that You’re Losing Me existed until a few weeks ago! (And I forgot it when thinking about Jack songs I like from Midnights). I just dont want to have to create a playlist to consolidate every TTPD song like I have with Midnights and add another.

SummaLuvin · 18/04/2024 12:20

toastofthetown · 18/04/2024 12:13

I also hope that this time she releases a standard album, an album with bonus tracks released on release day and let that be it. Midnights as an album is a bit of a mess. Even leaving aside all the remixes, there isn’t one version of the album which has every Midnights track on it. My friend who is a Swiftie, but not online, wasn’t aware that You’re Losing Me existed until a few weeks ago! (And I forgot it when thinking about Jack songs I like from Midnights). I just dont want to have to create a playlist to consolidate every TTPD song like I have with Midnights and add another.

I agree with this sooo hard. I adore Rep and I think part of its power is that Taylor said - this is a piece of art, it stands alone, and it speaks for itself (there will be no explanation, there will just be reputation). And with Midnights it feels like an ever evolving work, never complete and never able to enjoy as a single piece of art.

poppetandmog · 18/04/2024 12:32

I'm very excited about the new album. Folklore is my favourite so hoping it's similar. I liked midnights but not one of her better albums - I found a new of the songs a bit boring to be honest.

Singleandproud · 18/04/2024 12:34

I think TS is great, remember listening to Teardrops on my Guitar at uni in 2008ish when my bf cheated on me. She is very charitable but at the same time the different versions of things annoys me - to me it's money grabby. Obviously no one forces you to buy all the different options but plenty do to support her although I guess is that different to any other collectable - probably not. Didn't stop me ordering TTPD 2 mins after she announced it though

Igotjelly · 18/04/2024 12:36

I may or may not have listened to the leaked album in full 😳 much heavier on Matty Healy content than I was expecting.

Cant wait to get it properly downloaded on my Spotify tomorrow!

SummaLuvin · 18/04/2024 12:39

@Singleandproud agreed my take on the multiple variants is that if it’s purely different visuals then I don’t mind, more cover art to choose from. Some people will collect but most fans there is no real incentive or push to do so. Where I do have a a problem is exclusive tracks, TTPD isn’t even out yet but you need to own 4 versions to get all the music from this project, that is do think is wrong. I have said this on MN before but I felt especially stung when I preordered a midnights vinyl only for Taylor to supersede that version only 3 hours later by introducing the 3am tracks which was basically another half album. I think that was poor form given she heavily encouraged fans to preorder knowing this was the plan. I actually expected/hoped my vinyl to arrive with the extra tracks as a surprise, it didn’t.

MintyFurball · 18/04/2024 14:37

I think all the extra tracks dilute the “big deal” of a new album. Since Midnights there must have been at least an album’s worth of new material via the re-records and different editions. So to me it doesn’t necessarily feel that this is much different from whenever the reissue of Reputation is as that will undoubtedly have a tonne of new material on it too. I found Midnights stylistically a bit uneven which I suppose was part of the whole project. I suppose it’s so easy now for the listener create their own playlist to match a mood that that doesn’t really matter.

SummaLuvin · 18/04/2024 15:15

In preparation for their break-up album, these are some of my favourite love lyrics Taylor wrote for Joe.

I can still see it all in my head, back and forth from New York, sneaking in your bed,
I once believed love would be, burning red, but it's golden, like daylight

Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other, family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother, is it enough?

Barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings, that became my religion, listen

And he's passing by, rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky, and he feels like home, if the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand, with every guitar string scar on my hand, I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover, my heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue, all's well that ends well to end up with you, swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover, and you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me, and at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

Flashback when you met me, your buzzcut and my hair bleached, even in my worst times you could see the best of me, flashback to my mistakes, my rebounds, my earthquakes, even in my worst lies you saw the truth in me, and I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side, my one and only, my lifeline, I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side, my hands shake, I can't explain this

Up on the roof with a school girl crush, drinking beer out of plastic cups, say you fancy me, not fancy stuff, baby, all at once, this is enough

I'm laughin' with my lover, makin' forts under covers, trust him like a brother, yeah, you know I did one thing right, starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night

mlc0 · 18/04/2024 15:23

I've been a Taylor Swift fan since debut and so excited for this album, I haven't heard any leaks but I've read people saying they're disappointed with the album. I've loved every single album she's put out, I can't see me not liking this one either

Dolma · 18/04/2024 15:34

I've also heard that people are disappointed with the leaks. My theory is that all the twos that Taylor has been leaving around as clues is that there are two versions of this album, one written by Taylor and one written by AI. The inferior version that AI came up with has been leaked, the real one will be out tomorrow. She's showing the value of musicians and the harm that AI poses to creative industries.

OldHabitsDieScreaming · 18/04/2024 15:45

Dolma · 18/04/2024 15:34

I've also heard that people are disappointed with the leaks. My theory is that all the twos that Taylor has been leaving around as clues is that there are two versions of this album, one written by Taylor and one written by AI. The inferior version that AI came up with has been leaked, the real one will be out tomorrow. She's showing the value of musicians and the harm that AI poses to creative industries.

Oooooh that's an interesting theory!

I'm not listening to the leaks; I don't want spoilers.

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mlc0 · 18/04/2024 15:51

I've unintentionally come across some leaks (lyrics, not the sound) and they just don't sound like something she would write

Theedgeoftheabyss · 18/04/2024 15:56

When is it out in the UK? I'm nervous that the Eras tour will be changed to incorporate new material.

Igotjelly · 18/04/2024 15:57

Theedgeoftheabyss · 18/04/2024 15:56

When is it out in the UK? I'm nervous that the Eras tour will be changed to incorporate new material.

Tomorrow.

Having listened to the whole ‘leaked’ album (couldn’t help myself) I’m fairly sure it’s legit. It’s definitely more Matty than Joe though.

mlc0 · 18/04/2024 15:58

@Igotjelly what do you think?

Theedgeoftheabyss · 18/04/2024 15:59

Igotjelly · 18/04/2024 15:57

Tomorrow.

Having listened to the whole ‘leaked’ album (couldn’t help myself) I’m fairly sure it’s legit. It’s definitely more Matty than Joe though.

I don't appreciate spoiler type comments. Surely on a thread like this you'd have some respect.

Igotjelly · 18/04/2024 16:00

Theedgeoftheabyss · 18/04/2024 15:59

I don't appreciate spoiler type comments. Surely on a thread like this you'd have some respect.

Apologies didn’t think it was much of a spoiler 🙄 good grief.

Igotjelly · 18/04/2024 16:02

mlc0 · 18/04/2024 15:58

@Igotjelly what do you think?

I enjoyed it and think it’s probably legitimate but won’t say any more than that in case I upset others.

Twiggywinkle13 · 18/04/2024 16:05

I’m so annoyed about people listening to the leak. We know how important the art is so why do it? Not even 24 hours to wait.

I can’t wait to listen tomorrow!