By Nell Geraets
For the first time in a long time, critics aren’t loving a new Taylor Swift album. After releasing The Tortured Poets Department and her surprise second instalment, The Anthology, on Friday, the pop star’s work has been met with a significant number of middling to negative reviews, including from this masthead and outlets such as The New York Times, with some even suggesting she call it quits with her long-time collaborator, Jack Antonoff.
This apparent misstep is rare for Swift, an artist who has become accustomed to universal praise for her previous albums – there’s a reason she has 14 Grammys, after all.
But for an artist like Swift, who has become an incomparable cultural juggernaut in the past year, does this really matter? After decades of critical and commercial success, and a well-nurtured, loyal and massive fan base, could Swift be immune to the consequences of negative reviews?
What do critics think?
For New York Times critic Lindsay Zoladz, TTPD was too lengthy.
“Great poets know how to condense, or at least how to edit. The sharpest moments of The Tortured Poets Department would be even more piercing in the absence of excess, but instead the clutter lingers, while Swift holds an unlit match.”
Listen to our podcast dissecting Taylor Swift’s latest album
Others highlighted her over-reliance on Antonoff’s synth-pop sound. Rolling Stone’s Larisha Paul described their 16 collaborations as “hollowed-out percussion and piano chord progressions that never reach the peak they’re building toward”.
“At a certain point, it begins to feel as though Swift and Antonoff are simply going through the motions while running in place,” she wrote.
This masthead’s reviewer, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, went so far as to suggest Swift take a break altogether, citing a lack of artistic nuance and an over-dependence on Taylor lore.
“Much of it will be baffling to those who aren’t deeply versed in Swift lore,” she wrote. “There’s no denying that Swift is a skilled songwriter, and some of these songs are slow-burn growers, but when she sings, “I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art” on I Can Do It with a Broken Heart, one can’t help but wonder whether taking a break might be the best tonic of all.”
Openly criticising the album wasn’t an option for some critics, such as the reviewer for Paste magazine who gave TTPD a 3.6 rating (out of 10). The review was published anonymously because, according to the magazine’s editor, the writer received “threats of violence” from readers who disagreed with their take on Lover in 2019.
Not everyone was as critical, with Billboard labelling TTPD as “yet another triumph”, a more mature and unguarded version of the classic break-up song. And Business Insider’s Callie Ahlgrim praised Swift for writing an occasionally sensitive and self-indulgent album rather than a perfect and polished one.
What do fans think?
Fans seem to have separated into two camps: the unwavering supporters and reluctant sceptics. TikTok has been overrun with videos of Swifties lip-synching lyrics, crying to different tracks, or expressing awe at Swift’s impressive discography to date.
One of the main critiques was the album’s monotony and its lack of stand-out bops. Some have echoed the critics, questioning Swift’s ongoing collaboration with Antonoff, with whom she has been working since 2013.
Several fans have touched on how lyrically dense and melodramatic the tracks are, many of which require extensive knowledge of Swift’s background and previous relationships to properly appreciate.
How is it performing?
According to the numbers alone, TTPD has been a resounding success, contrasting starkly with the mixed critical reviews.
TTPD became the most-streamed album in its first day on both Amazon Music and Spotify. Apple Music announced it was the biggest pop album of all time by first-day streams. It sold 1.4 million physical copies in the United States on Friday alone. Over its first three days, the record became the most-streamed album globally in its first week on Amazon Music.
Has Taylor said anything?
Swift has presumably noticed the mixed reviews but if so, she’s paying them no mind. The pop star has been posting screenshots of positive reviews on her Instagram story, including those from Variety and Billboard.
On Monday, she released personal commentary for select tracks on Amazon Music, including Clara Bow and Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?, offering further insight into the songs’ lyrics and context.
“Fortnight is a song that exhibits a lot of the common themes that run throughout this album,” she said in one of the commentary tracks. “One of which being fatalism – longing, pining away, lost dreams. It’s a very fatalistic album in that there are lots of very dramatic lines about life or death. ‘I love you, it’s ruining my life.’ These are very hyperbolic, dramatic things to say. It’s that kind of album.”
Will the Eras Tour line-up change?
The pop star will commence the European leg of her Eras Tour in May, leaving many wondering whether she will incorporate new tracks into the line-up.
Swift is unlikely to add an entire new TTPD era to the European leg of her Eras Tour.
At 3½ hours already, it’s unlikely she will add an entire new era. However, the surprise song section at each of her concerts will allow her to test the 31 new songs.
If she were to incorporate TTPD tracks into the permanent set-list, it’s likely that would come at the expense of songs in the Folklore and Midnights sections since these are currently the longest in the show (consisting of seven songs each).
What could it mean for Taylor’s future?
The Eras Tour, which is still ongoing, is officially the highest-grossing music tour ever, becoming the first to exceed $US1 billion in revenue. Her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, smashed the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert movie in North America.
Whether you love her or hate her, swaths of people are consuming Swift content, which has become a defining feature of 21st century culture. The number of streams TTPD has claimed in less than a week speaks for itself – negative reviews do not stop people listening.
The response is reminiscent of the pushback her earlier album, Reputation, received in 2017, which saw some fans shocked by the grittier, darker themes explored. However, that album has since become a popular fan-favourite and a prominent feature of her Eras Tour. Could the same happen with TTPD? Does it just require time to marinate?
It remains to be seen how Swift deals with the middling reception on an artistic level. She’s known for her clap backs and reinterpretations of the narrative surrounding her. It’s possible her next project directly references the current conversation. But on a purely commercial level, it’s clear that her massive stardom, and loyal fans, will keep her well and truly afloat.
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