THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, Taylor Swift

For the last few days since the release of Taylor Swift's eleventh studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, my mind has been reeling about how to process and articulate a creative work of art this colossal, this magical, and this utterly Taylor.

Despite its over-two hour run time and diaristic lyrical density, the true genius of TTPD lies in what can be read between the lines. It's a culmination of all the pieces that have created the astronomically successful puzzle that is Taylor Swift music over the last 18 years while also breaking ground into something brand new. Tapping into the lyrical chaos of Taylor Swift, the devastatingly beautiful heartbreak of Red, the devil-may-care attitude of Reputation, the grounding indie-acoustic storytelling of Folklore and Evermore, and the glittery haze pop of Midnights, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT emerges as something that transcends an album-- it's a collection of songs that is tangible rather than describable. And this is not a project that can be consumed and understood in a single go; it unearths a new gift with each listen, revealing poetic melodies, lyrics that explain the unexplainable, production that mimics emotional turmoil (or should I say torture?), and the liberating hope that even the deepest heartbreak can foster a masterpiece.

Stand-out tracks: "So Long, London" "But Daddy I Love Him" "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" "I Can Do it With a Broken Heart"

My favorites: "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" "Guilty as Sin?" "loml" "The Alchemy"

While I was one of those people who not-so-delusionally stayed up until 2am on TTPD release night to witness the surprise release of THE ANTHOLOGY half of the album, I didn't have the composure to do anything but run around and shriek and listen to the additional fifteen tracks with bleary eyes when they hit streaming. Therefore, this review will focus on the original TTPD album. (THE ANTHOLOGY review is coming, but I need more time to process the other half of the album. Taylor may be super-human enough to release a double album while on The Eras Tour, but she overestimated my ability to process 31 songs all at once. Taylor, I love you, it's ruining my life.)

I Love You, It's Ruining My Life

"It's the worst men I write best." Virulent love that disguised itself as true love inspires album opener "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)" and solo-written "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys." The prior is understated yet sharp, with stunningly complimentary Post Malone harmonies and scathing lyrics like "All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February" and "What about your quiet treason?" The building production coupled with the effectively repetitive "I love you, it's ruining my life" makes Taylor's turmoil-turned-freedom palpable. "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" sees the duo of Taylor and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff flexing their metaphorical pop-banger wings to deconstruct the destruction of a tactless lover who "saw forever so he smashed it."

Taylor finds herself intoxicated with affection for worse or for better in "But Daddy I Love Him" and "The Alchemy." As she's "telling him to floor it through the fences" despite the fact that "He was chaos/He was revelry," "But Daddy I Love Him" gives the first taste of how Taylor's massive stardom has unpleasantly crept into her relationships: "I'd rather burn my life down than listen to one more second of all this bitchin' and moanin'." This almost feels like a nod to 2010's "Mean," with Taylor reminding that she'll always rise above the cacophony of criticism from those who don't even know her. However, intoxication doesn't always lead to tumultuous love; the stars finally align on "The Alchemy," with Taylor finding an indubitable, "once every few lifetimes" love after all the doubts and scars of her past: "I haven't come around in so long/But I'm making a comeback to where I belong." To the guy we can conclude this track is about: you know who you are, I love you.

Old Habits Die Screaming

Whether longing for comfort or trying to escape from loneliness, Taylor spins her diaristic tales in the style of the fictional characters from Folklore on tracks like "The Tortured Poets Department," "Fresh Out The Slammer" and "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)." These tracks feel like a reflection back on those lethal loves well after the chapter has closed, dissecting the little things made the heartbreak worth it.

Am I Allowed to Cry?

Infamous in the world of Taylor Swift, track five "So Long, London" embraces its role on the album as heartwrenching, reflective, and completely devastating. Folklore and Evermore collaborator Aaron Dessner lends pulsing, haunting production that illustrates the anxious tragedy of losing love: "I stopped CPR, after all, it's no use/The spirit was gone, we would never come to/And I'm pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free." While "So Long, London" is laced with some resentment, Aaron-produced "loml" vulnerably bares a heartbreak that will haunt her forever: "Your arson's match, your somber eyes/I'll see until I die/You're the loss of my life."

You Don't Get to Tell Me About Sad

While so many would cower in the face of heartbreak, Taylor emerges ferocious on tracks like sardonic "Down Bad," scorching "Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)", and fiercely triumphant "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" The latter is a different kind of heartbreak: "Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me/You caged me, then you called me crazy/I am what I am cause you trained me/So who's afraid of me?" While a romantic heartbreak usually heals with time, life as a constant topic on people's tongues seems to have left Taylor feeling dehumanized and powerless. So no, we don't get to tell her about "sad."

Though spectators of The Eras Tour might believe“She’s having the time of her life/There in her glittering prime/The lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night," the cheeky, sparkly pop smash "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" mimics the facade of putting on a smile on the biggest stage (physically and metaphorically) while coping with the most human of emotions. Composed as if it's Taylor's mental mid-show monologue, "Breaking down, I hit the floor/All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting 'More!,' and coupled with production elements like in-ear backing track and the bubbling of backstage chatter, this track will be added to the list of Songs Only Taylor Swift Could Write.

In Summation

As a Member of the Tortured Poets Department, I hereby declare that our Chairman, armed with quills and daggers, glitter and lace, pain and power, has penned one of the most noteworthy achievements of her illustrious career.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

The Veronicas' New Album “Gothic Summer” is a Bold Showcase of Versatility and Ingenuity

For Australian female pop band The Veronicas, a casual coffee date with longtime friend and legendary pop-punk producer John Feldmann brought about sparks of a bold idea. Without expectations, pressure, or definitive intention, that idea became the group's brand-new album, Gothic Summer. The twin sister duo call it a "dark comedy" of an album, which somehow can be described as classic, chaotic, and truly creative all at once.

Stand-out tracks: "PERFECT" "SAVAGE"

My favorites: "INVISIBLE"

"PERFECT" is the attention-grabber track that piqued my interest in Gothic Summer as a complete project when it was released as a single; it's classic pop-punk executed with the female flair that has made The Veronicas stand on their own in a genre full of male-dominated bands. There's a perfect balance of the maturity it takes to finally say "It doesn't matter who you were before/Cause no one's actually keeping score" while also unabashedly extolling "glitter dreams" and the societal pressures to be pretty, rather than authentic. This track also holds the best lyric of the whole album: "Falling in line can be fatal/I'd rather be a fucking mess than stable." Oh, there's nothing quite like pop-punk.

The electronic-punk influence on "DETOX" is as addictive and unpredictable as the relationship illustrated throughout the track. The cheekiness of The Veronicas' Australian accents adds to the pissed-off desperation of the bridge, where the relationship is so intoxicating that they go so far as to say "I think I've overdosed/I'm not dead but I'm coming close."

From the opening thrumming bass of "HERE TO DANCE," this one completely leaves pop-punk behind and taps into Dua Lipa-style dance-pop. Despite lyrical parallels to the preceding two tracks, "HERE TO DANCE" marks a shift in Gothic Summer. In an effort to be more carefree, it leaves behind the integrity of the style that The Veronicas have built their success on and pushes towards something new. "SAVAGE" also leans into dance-pop, but carries lyrical integrity that's stronger and more intentional, really emphasizing the theme of "Was it love or collateral damage?" This one is brutal yet cathartic, and the one-liner of "Got my jewellery on/But the bling on my ring finger's moved along" really drives the track home.

Both the 2000s-style pop that glimmers in "INVISIBLE," where The Veronicas shine vocally calling out "Can anyone else hear me?," and cinematic "RIBCAGE" are the production high point on Gothic Summer. The latter pairs piano ballad instrumentals and percussion synths to illustrate the passion and intensity of the emotion told through the song. The pinnacle of the track comes as it builds to its conclusion, as The Veronicas illustrate the growth that new love can inspire: "I'm feeling the pressure pushing my ribcage/Coming alive again/Because of you."

Despite its short tracklisting of eight songs, Gothic Summer starts to lose steam at its conclusion. As much as I wish the project had a satisfying resolution, chaotic "JUNGLE" and "PERFECT (Acoustic)" don't deliver on the expectations set by the front half of the album. As their first international release in a decade, The Veronicas deliver a versatile and diverse body of work in Gothic Summer. With a few shining gems and a devil-may-care attitude, the album pushes the boundaries just enough to please female pop-rock fans while also freeing The Veronicas to embrace a new decade of their career.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: OBSESSED WITH SOME TRACKS

eternal sunshine, Ariana Grande

Between 2016 and 2020, absolutely no one was a bigger popstar than Ariana Grande; she released four full-length studio albums, headlined two international tours, took home multiple GRAMMYs, and smashed records upheld by legendary artists like The Beatles. It's now been three and a half years since her last album, Positions, and Ariana has been pretty quiet.

Now she's back and more radiant than ever with her brand new seventh album eternal sunshine. This project shows that Grande has grown in almost every aspect of her life in her time away. Lyrically, she's rarely been so honest, free, reflective, and undoubtedly sure of herself. This album marks her production debut alongside longtime collaborator (and producer legend) Max Martin. Her unparalleled vocal range has somehow gotten even stronger. The woman who has always dominated the art of the radio hit single has intentionally released all but one of the album's thirteen tracks together as a complete project, proving she can produce a concept album just as well as individual pop smashes. The 35-minute eternal sunshine album is concise, dynamic, and doesn't have a single skip. As Ariana herself put it in her interview on the Zach Sang Show, "There is nothing more to say and it's exactly what I wanted to make, so I'm going to let it be."

Stand-out tracks: "true story" "we can't be friends (wait for your love)" "i wish i hated you"

My favorites: "bye" "supernatural" "imperfect for you"

Most of Ariana's albums have begun with an intro track, setting up the themes and imagery of the album. eternal sunshine opens with "intro (the end of the world)," which sees Ariana posing the questions, "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?/Aren't you really supposed to know that shit?/Feel it in your bones and own that shit?/I don't know." From the start, she's ready to take accountability for her heart having doubts and take responsibility for finding what she longs for.

When the relationship is wrong, it's wrong-- and Ariana doesn't hesitate to get away in captivating "bye," which is an immediate reminder that absolutely no one does pop like Ariana Grande. The twinkling, carefree disco-style chorus confidently stating "Boy, bye/It's over, it's over/Boy, bye/I'm taking what's mine" starts the album flawlessly. For diehard fans, the likely reference to her own "No Tears Left to Cry" with the line "Not the first time I've been hostage to these tears" is another reminder that through all her pain and growth, Ari has never changed at her core. And while she's always been vocally sensational, this track soars above even her standards.

The "Saturn Returns Interlude" is perfectly placed, shifting from the pain of the relationship ending in "bye" and "don't wanna break up again." This spoken interlude is essential to the story of eternal sunshine, explaining that around 29 years old, the age Ariana was just before creating the album, "Saturn comes along and hits you over the head and says, 'Wake up'/It's time for you to get real about life and sort out who you really are." This leads into a tonal shift, as Grande reflects on the past with title-track "eternal sunshine" and then progresses towards her new, more assured version of herself. And she does self-assurance with undeniable power; not a single other pop star on the planet besides Ariana could deliver a track like "supernatural." From its atmospheric production, immersive vocal layering, and understated sexiness, "supernatural" sees Grande finally embracing her newfound freedom: "It's like supernatural/It's taking over me, don't wanna fight the fall."

Grande is no stranger to media speculation, particularly about her relationships, and "true story" insinuates that, for the media, she'll "play the bad girl if you need me to/If it makes you feel better/I'll be the one you love to hate, can't relate." But when it comes right down to it, she controls her own life and narrative, particularly when the successive track is "the boy is mine." The sultriest track on the album, "the boy is mine" makes it clear that Ari "take[s] full accountability for all these tears," but she couldn't care less what the rest of the world has to say, as long as she's got the relationship that she believes is "simply meant to be."

Lead single "yes, and?" honestly doesn't stand out from the full album the way many lead singles do. It blends in as a middle-of-the-pack track with just enough click-bait-able lyrics to bring Ariana back to the forefront of pop music after her three-and-a-half-year hiatus. Its placement in the tracklist is a sassy, conclusive farewell to caring about the opinions of those who don't know her.

The true heart of eternal sunshine comes in the three-track run of "we can't be friends (wait for your love)," "i wish i hated you," and "imperfect for you." Here, Ariana navigates the unavoidable trauma and heartbreak of homewrecker accusations and "rearrag[ing her] memories" and "rewrit[ing her] life" in an attempt to save a failing relationship (and marriage). But these things finally allow her to embrace the "messy" and "imperfect" new beginnings of finding new love, both romantically and within herself.

That question asked in the intro of eternal sunshine, "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?," finds its answer in the album closer "ordinary things (feat. Nonna)." Ariana emerges as metamorphosized, self-assured, grounded, and blissfully in love with her life. The love she feels "hit[s] like my biggеst fan when I hear what the critiquеs say." Unlike her persona from 2019's "7 rings," Ariana "don't need no diamonds, just your time." The last notes of the album close with a voice note of Ariana's joyful laugh in response to her Nonna answering her exact question: "Never go to bed without kissin' goodnight...And if you can't...You're in the wrong place, get out."

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED