Audio File: ‘TTPD’ – The tale of a poet and two producers

Written by Anna Porter, Graphic by Anna Porter

Just as Swifties thought Taylor Swift couldn’t make productivity any more of an art, she released a double album during her “break” between legs of “The Eras Tour.” And while it’s only been less than a week, I’m almost ready to declare “The Tortured Poets Department” her best album. I highly anticipated this release because of the compelling title and art direction centered around poetry, hoping that the sound would be a return to the “folklore” era. Instead, Swift combined her best sounds into a new anthology, working with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner to produce a spool of sounds to unravel. There are so many things to piece through, so in this article, I’ll discuss key things I’ve noticed in the production and writing of “The Tortured Poets Department.”

The sound of “The Tortured Poets Department” is the perfect average of all of Taylor Swift’s albums combined. The balance between Antonoff’s and Dessner’s production works perfectly because neither producer overpowers the album, and Swift’s artistry chooses which sound works for each song.

The album begins with a run of upbeat songs, including “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone),” the first official single. Swift’s dark vocals paired with a pounding synth blooms into a powerful duet with Post Malone and introduces the mellow yet passionate style present throughout the album. Track two — the album’s title track — is one of my favorites because of the catchy chorus and Swift’s vocal choices that elevate the song into a heavenly pop sound.

A few songs in, Dessner’s production makes its entrance in “So Long, London,” one of the most beautifully produced yet lyrically painful songs. This song pleasantly surprised me. I expected a slow ballad but enjoyed the heartbeat-esque beat and low synths. These steady beats almost remind me of footsteps that represent Swift escaping London as her six-year relationship ends. 

One of the most sonically shocking songs in this album is “Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine). It begins with an understated beat that reminds me of “I Know Places.” But at the chorus, the incorporation of drums brings the album to one of its loudest points. It reflects Swift’s free spirit as she searches for a new place to find refuge.

In the second half of the album, the anthology version of the record, the songs transition to a more mellow feel as Dessner’s production takes the lead. I prefer this production style for this album because it supports the poetic style. The minimal yet layered sonics allow Swift’s poetry to come to the forefront, allowing listeners to focus more on her lyrics and storytelling. The low plucking guitar sounds of “I Hate It Here” reminds me of a “‘tis the damn season” 2.0. It seems that Swift enjoyed pairing nature imagery with the “folklore-esque” sounds to bring us back into that era.

Now, let’s talk about Swift’s lyrical choices in this album. Many critics have stated that this album is targeted at dedicated fans, as the niche references have more meaning if you know Taylor’s full story. It may not be for everyone, but the wordy and “flow-of-consciousness” lyrical style works well in this album. While listening to the lyrics closely, I’ve noticed lots of storytelling styles that sew this album into an intuitive anthology.

“But Daddy I Love Him” is reminiscent of Swift’s earlier country music, where she uses one of her signature storytelling styles of imagining something she wants, and at the end of the song, it becomes a reality. She sings, “I’m running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming ‘But Daddy I love him,” which then becomes, “Even my Daddy just loves him // I’m his lady.” This storytelling style reminds me of “Mary’s Song,” where, in the same way, the dreams of the narrator become a reality.

The anecdotal style in “The Bolter” makes it one of my favorite songs on the album. The song begins with a reference back to the main character’s fall into icy water as a kid. Then, as the listener travels through the lyrics, the story is referred to as a comparison to all of the troubles she faces throughout her relationships, “It feels like the time // she fell through the ice… // Then came out alive.”

“Robin” was a song that also stood out to me, because of the nature references that remind me of “seven” from “folklore.” Swift sings, “Way to go, tiger // higher and higher // Wilder and lighter.” Robins typically symbolize positive emotions such as positivity, hope and growth. She seems to be singing to her childhood self, telling her to enjoy innocence before she has to learn about the real world, but wishing her well as she grows up.

Many of Taylor Swift’s songs reference nostalgia and romanticism. “I Hate It Here” is a response to that, explaining that even though it’s easy to imagine how fun it could be to live in a different time, no era is perfect and it’s important to enjoy being present where you currently are. She sings, “I hate it here so I will go to // secret gardens in my mind,” but later learns that “Nostalgia is a mind’s trick // If I’d been there, I’d hate it.” 

Swift weaves all of these themes into an album that includes a balanced amount of reflections about herself, anecdotes from past relationships and grievances about difficult seasons she has gone through. There is still a lot to decode, but I’m basking in the sounds that Taylor Swift produced with Antonoff and Dessner, and re-reading the musings to learn more about what she is trying to tell us through this work of art.