“The Tortured Poets Department” rechnet ab
Some marketing campaigns in recent days have made fans even more curious about the eleventh studio album. Swift previously published five playlists with her own old songs on the streaming provider Apple Music, which she discussed thematically five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). There wasn’t really any need for more explanation as to what you can expect from “TTPD”.
Together with her proven partner in crime, Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner (The National), Swift dedicates herself to lyrical storytelling, processing details from her private life more openly than ever before. What is artistically exaggerated remains their secret – but it shouldn’t be difficult to guess who the song “So Long, London” (track number 5) is about. “Oh, the tragedy … So long, London. You’ll find someone.”
We actually stay in this mood for the entire first half of the album. The broken heart is not hidden here, but proudly presented. It’s bittersweet and fascinating at the same time how Swift manages to immediately draw you into her stories with words and a gentle upbeat alone. This also applies to the opening number “Fortnight”, which was released as the first release on Friday night. Lyrics like “All my mornings are mondays stuck in an endless february“ / “I was a functioning alcoholic ’til nobody noticed my new aesthetic” make the lump in your throat get a little bigger. Not to forget the drastic “I love you, it’s ruining my life”, the 34-year-old together with the US singer Post Malone sings. A reckoning that couldn’t be clearer.
New music video
A few hours later, the corresponding, brand new one was released Music-Clip, for which Taylor Swift once again directed herself. Swifties are already having a lot of fun deciphering the many hidden symbols in the romantic and disturbing black and white video, in which the singer finds herself in a psychiatric institution, among other things (“I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me”).
In addition to Taylor Swift and Post Malone, there is also prominent support from the two US actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles in small supporting roles.