The Tortured Poets Department & The Black Hole of Music Criticism

I'm more shocked that she let Matty Healy get to her that much. I thought it was a fling and she was having fun.

it's gotten so deranged that someone tweeted that being a swiftie in 2024 is like a jewish person during 1938...

I think the problem with the internet is that everything exists in hyperbole. you can’t just say you dislike something, you have to say “this is garbage” or “this is the worst thing i’ve ever heard,” which will automatically make fans of that thing defensive because it feels like that person is attacking them and their interests. Like, in the Paste article, the author makes jokes about how her “poetry” is essentially unpolished and bad, meaning that anyone who relates to it might feel as though their intelligence and feelings are being insulted (and that might make them want to attack). Everyone definitely has a right to share their opinion and why they dislike something, but I think we get into tricky territory when we start making moral judgments. And the same applies in the reverse, with fans that make moral judgments about all “haters.” The internet would be a much nicer place to be if people could just say they like something or dislike something without it turning into a grand statement about whether something is “objectively” good or bad.

I'm a hardcore OG Swiftie, however, I'm not that big of a fan of this new album. I like it, but she definitely can do better than this. Also, I'm getting tired of those swifties who put Taylor on a pedestal and think a critique = attack. Ngl, sometimes it's so embarrassing to be a swiftie and it has nothing to do with Taylor.

Took the words right outta my mouth. "A lore-dump for die-hard fans to decipher." THIS!! I'm a fan of Taylor's music, but I'm not an "easter-eggs" fan. I don't want to hear coded messages about her ex bfs or Kim K. And i feel that TTPD is swallowed in easter eggs that i don't care about.

i feel like a lot of the big pop acts have been making lackluster albums because they arent hungry anymore and know that their fans will go above and beyond to defend it

What you said about how Taylor is better at writing fiction is so true. She's an amazing story teller, and I think that it really shines in fictional songs where she's not tethered to the confines of her popularity and celebrity status. Because it's not just that fiction can be more relatable for a not famous person, she just has so much more creative freedom when she doesn't HAVE to talk about romance, or the specific romance that she's dealing with. I think I just wasn't very interested in hearing vague songs about what Taylors going through romantically. She has every right to want to sing about it and put her thoughts into words, I just personally find her music is more poetic and meaningful when she steps out of what she goes through normally.

In general, I think releasing a 31 track new album is a huge mistake, especially if all the songs sort of blend together. 7-12 track albums work because they give people a bite size taste of the artist and the tracks themselves get more attention; I really think she shot herself in the foot with that

I'm a Taylor Swift fan and I definitely agree that nuanced reviews, whether positive or critical, should always be welcome.

I wish Taylor had dedicated herself to only rereleasing her TV albums for at least 4-5 years, especially because fans are already getting vault songs they’d never heard before. But when she’s releasing all her re-recordings with previously unreleased work AND new albums it’s forcing her to write completely new material when it’s clear she’s creatively drained. The fact that she even decided to surprise release TTPD as a double album shows she’s so high on the praise she’s been receiving the past few years that she lost perspective. No one was asking for a double album, they just wanted it to be good. Taylor lives for the charts and the awards now, but it’s at the cost of her own fans getting tired of her material.

I just hate that we can't just say that an album is "fine" or "mid". It has to be "GENIUS" or "SH*T" for reviews to work nowadays, and both her hardcore fans and haters are more focus on shouting what they think than really judge the music itself.

What I really feel discouraged by is that you can’t even create a video sharing your thoughts about something without kind of proving that you like something/someone by listing all the aspects you like about them. And I get it, the stans are insanely protective of their idols - when your admiration of a person/brand prevents convo about it that is more analytical or critical of that thing, than it’s no longer about admiration, it’s obsession. Thank you for sharing your thoughts because it’s healthy to do so!

As a swiftie, this album is not the best. I think there's a point in the album where I get lost. Yes, I did like the album but as a massive fan of other albums, this one is weaker. Also, while I like her music a lot, it is too long. Folklore is my favorite album and I will say that one is her absolute best album. It is not about her and yet, it feels hugely personal and raw. Shout out to evermore that is also fantastic. TTPD is an okay album but it's not the best. And Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus is ridiculously underrated.

Midnights winning AOTY was frustrating, but if this album wins next year then I'm no longer tuning into that portion of the grammys. There's no point if they're going to pick Taylor every time.

Taylor is definitely overexposed right now so that's feeding into it. I feel like this should have been released after the eras tour finished or after her next rerecording.

you put into words exactly how I felt about this situation. I like a lot of Taylor's music, but I want to be able to critique even my favorite artists without being crucified for it. there's no reason to worship these musicians the way we are.

I'm a Swiftie and I was really let down by this album. Her writing was really not good on this album and it's shocking. Some of the songs on the new album I really like, but I'd be fine if she never wrote music again. I couldn't tell the songs apart either. And I think there's something wrong with the fact that her songs sound like a 19 year old is writing them when she's in her 30s, whereas Folklore and Evermore were more mature.

i feel like she’s in drake mode rn (no wonder they’re good friends lol) views was mid, and instead of him doing better, he just made one of the worst albums of 2018 (scorpion), then just keeps getting consistent at making dogwater after he stopped using ghostwriters /hj. MIDnights is the views of her catalog, and ttpd is 100% the scorpion. it’s just the beginning.

Honestly, I love this album. But it is so frustrating to see other swifties freak out at people for having a different opinion. It’s okay to not have the same taste in music. Like no two people are gonna have the exact same taste. I don’t get why it’s so hard for people to get that. While I feel that some of the critiques against her have been a little unfair, I totally understand that everyone has a different opinion and that’s okay

Large segments of the Beyhive, Barbs, and Swifties as fandoms scare me lol. Any genuine critique, constructive thoughts/feedback, or any opinion you give that is not positive & involves breathing results in pitchforks. If you are a 'fan' making death threats you need serious help. Great video, Kayla!