Taylor Swift's 'gloriously Â纮Í𡿺®Æ٤Ȥ·¤¿' new album The ¹éÌäd Poets Department is ¾Î»¾¤¹¤ëd by critics as they brand it her 'most personal µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë yet' and a 'sharp savage attack on her British exes'
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Taylor Swift's much-¿´ÇÛ¤¹¤ëd new album The ¹éÌäd Poets Department seems to have struck to same chord with critics as it did the À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë's millions of fans, with many reviews ¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ëing the 'gloriously chotic' and 'audacious' À®²Ì¡¿ÅØÎÏ.
Ͷȯ¤¹¤ëing ¹ðÁÊ¡¤¹ðȯs that she was trying to È¿ÂС¿º¾µ½ her fans, the À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë sent social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß into ϧ¿´ÍÏÍ» when she dropped the 16-Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë, before ȯɽ¤¹¤ëing 15 ÆÃÊ̼êÅö songs just two hours later.
In a slew of reviews, critics were quick to brand Taylor's album her 'most personal yet' and branded it a 'sharp savage attack on her British exes,' after fans ¿ä¬¤¹¤ëd that several Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ës took ÌÜŪ¡Ê¤È¤¹¤ë¡Ë at her former ±ê¾ås Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy.
Îá¾õing in Variety, Chris Willman ¸ø¼°Ê¸½ñ¡¤Ç§¤á¤ëd that the album is '¿·¤¿¤Ë¤¹¤ëing Taylor's ¸øÌ󤹤ës with heartbreak,' ¸ø¼°Ê¸½ñ¡¤Ç§¤á¤ëing that it had been a £±£°Ç¯´Ö since she had ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd a Îà»÷¤Î µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë taking such swipes at her exes.
He penned: 'The ¹éÌäd Poets Department?gives everyone a ½½Ê¬¤Ê dose of the never-getting-over-it Taylor that no one really ¼êÇÛÃæ¤Î¡¤¤ª¿Ò¤Í¼Ô to get over.?
Taylor Swift's The ¹éÌäd Poets Department seems to have struck to same chord with critics as it did fans, with many reviews ¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ëing the 'gloriously chotic' and 'audacious' À®²Ì¡¿ÅØÎÏ
'As Êø²õ¡¿Ê¬Îö albums go, it's a doozy, as they would have said »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë in Clara ¶þÉþ¤¹¤ë's day - an unapologetically ·à¤Î (if often witty) µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë that will be soundtracking untold millions of Èá·à¤Î ÉÔÏÂs to come. If you've been putting one off, now might not be a bad time to schedule it.'
Rolling ÀС¿ÅêÀФ¹¤ë's ά夹¤ë Sheffeld ½Ò¤Ù¤ëd the album as her 'most personal album yet,' Äɲ乤ëing: 'It's the cathartic ¼«Çò of a woman who thought she had adulthood ¡½ and adult romance ¡½ all ¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»úd out, only to find herself realizing she knows nothing.
'Even by Swiftian ´ð½às, she gets wildly ambitious with her songwriting here.'
°ìÊý¡¿¹ç´Ö UK critic?Neil McCormick, Îá¾õing in The Telegraph puts ¾ÇÅÀ¡Ê¤ò¹ç¤ï¤»¤ë¡Ë on Taylor's savage swipes at her British exes in the album, while awarding it four À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës.
He wrote: 'On the simplest of ¾ò·ï, what we have here is a very smart, seductive, lyrically sharp »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë of smooth synth pop songs about »ö·ï¡¿»ö¾ð¡¿¾õÀªs of the heart, ¡Ê¼êÀè¤Î¡Ëµ»½Ñd with love, ÃÎǽ and passion ? another hugely ¹µÁÊ¡¤¾å¹ðing ¿·µ¬²ÃÆþ to Swift's ³ÈÂ礹¤ëing canon...
'But it can be hard to disentangle the hook lines from the headlines on an album that is not so much a blockbuster entertainment ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë as a Á´À¤³¦¤Î news event.
'Although it features one sumptuously sad and gorgeous, lyrically Ë¡Äî¤Î dissection of a fading romance with a depressed Brit on So Long, (that would be actor Joe Alwyn, who she »þÂåÃÙ¤ì¤Î for six years, but sounds like she got over in about six minutes), the arc of this album is about a torrid and obsessive »ö·ï¡¿»ö¾ð¡¿¾õÀª with a bad boy poet.'
Îá¾õing for The ¸å¸«¿Í,?Alexis Petridis awarded The ¹éÌäd Poets Department four À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës, Îá¾õing: 'There's ÌÀ³Î¤Ë a ´í¸± ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ëd in calling out elements of your own fanbase, however ÀµÅö²½¤¹¤ëd said attack is, but Swift pulls it off.
In a slew of reviews, critics were quick to brand Taylor's album her 'most personal yet' and branded it a 'sharp savage attack on her British exes' (the singer is pictured with Joe Alwyn)
'She can do it because she's an exceptionally talented writer: there's a depth and À®½Ï to this album that makes her competitors look a little ɼå¤Ê by comparison.
'ÌÀ³Î¤Ë, the monocultural ubiquity she's ãÀ®¤¹¤ëd isn't terribly healthy for anything other than her bank balance ? The ¹éÌäd Poets Department seems to Ʊ°Õ¤¹¤ë ? but if we have to have a Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È artist »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ëing pop, we could have Áª¤Öd worse.'
However, not all critics were as enamoured by Taylor's ºÇ¿·¤Î µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë, with NME's Laura Malloy ½Ò¤Ù¤ëing it as 'a rare misstep,' while ¸ÀµÚ¡¿´ØÏ¢ing that she takes a surprise ÌÜŪ¡Ê¤È¤¹¤ë¡Ë at the struggles that come with her ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë fame.
Îá¾õing: 'Swift seems to be in tireless ÄÉÀ× for superstardom, yet the ¾Ã¶ËŪ¤Ê public opinion it can come with º¤¤é¤¹s her, and it's a tired ¼çÂê now ±ÖÉ¡¿Çº¤Þ¤¹ing her discography and leaving little room for the poignant lyrical ´Ñ»¡s she excels at.'
'It's why the Í·ês that ¶ì¶¤Ë´Ù¤ë her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing - she's proven time and time again she can do better.'
¸ÀµÚ¡¿´ØÏ¢ing the album before Taylor ÌÀ¤«¤¹d 15 ÆÃÊ̼êÅö Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ës, The Daily Mail's Adrian Thrills penned: 'There's certainly a sense that she's pulling out all the stops on The ¹éÌäd Poets Department.?
'Even for someone with a Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë of Èó¾ï¤ËŤ¤, value-for-money albums, it's a mammoth ÀÁ¤±É餦ing.?
'Its 16 songs stretch out across 66 tireless minutes, with ÆÃÊ̼êÅö Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ës take the running time to over 74 minutes.?
'It's essentially a ÆóÎÝÂÇ album. It's also an immersive, cinematic »ö·ï¡¿»ö¾ð¡¿¾õÀª that often feels more like an old Hollywood film script than a straightforward pop µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë.'
The ´ð½à's El ÄÉÀסʤ¹¤ë¡Ë penned an even harsher critique, awarding the album just two À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës, Îá¾õing: 'I'm ºÇ½ªÅª¤Ë left wishing there was much more of this frankness.?
'There are no µ¿Ìä countless lyrical puzzles here, waiting to be unpicked, but The ¹éÌäd Poets Department is at its most potent when it does away with all of the arch ÁõÃÖs and ¡Ê°ìÄê¤Î¡Ë´ü´Ös it out plainly.'
While ELLE's Georgia Nelson ½Ò¤Ù¤ëd the album as 'her best storytelling yet,' The Times'?Will Hodgkinson Äɲ乤ëd: 'The musical style is also perfect for Swift at this ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬ in her career. Having come through the perky teenage pop of Shake It Off, the would-be hipster ¿É¾¡¤¹¤ë¡¿Í¥°Ì of Bad ·ì and the lockdown-friendly indie folk of Cardigan, she has arrived at the all-À¬Éþ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÂǤÁ¾¡¤Äing adult mainstream.?
'Taking in synth pop, Eighties ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë ballads and the emotional AOR of Stevie Nicks (who ¿½¤·¹þ¤à¡¿¿½¤·½Ðs her own poem on love gone wrong in the liner ¸ø¼°Ê¸½ñ¡¤Ç§¤á¤ës), these songs are ÇÛ㤹¤ëd with Swift¡Çs trademark gusto and ¥á¥¬¥ï¥Ã¥È professionalism - and it¡Çs a five-À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë album.'
Ͷȯ¤¹¤ëing ¹ðÁÊ¡¤¹ðȯs that she was trying to È¿ÂС¿º¾µ½ her fans, the À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë sent social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß into ϧ¿´ÍÏÍ» when she dropped her album, before ȯɽ¤¹¤ëing 15 ÆÃÊ̼êÅö songs two hours later?
Îá¾õing for The Mirror, Mollie Quirk Ê®½Ð¤¹¤ëd: 'Á´ÂΤˤ錄¤ë, The ¹éÌäd Poets Department is the most magnificent ÃÄÂΡ¿»àÂÎ of work that sees Taylor Ï¢¹ç¤µ¤»¤ë her love of poetry and music.?
'The album is incredibly ¿¼¤¤ and moving, hard to unravel and decode, yet Ê¿°×¤Ê to Íî¤Á¤ë into and draw comparisons to of your own life.'
The BBC's?¼¨¤¹ Savage wrote: 'The ¹éÌäd Poets Department is an uneven album, and one that ·çÇ¡¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës a ·ãÆͤ¹¤ë-dunk ̵Àþ¤ÇÄÌ¿®¤¹¤ë ¹ñ²È like Anti-Hero or Shake It Off - but Swift has pop music in a stranglehold for now, so it will sell by the bucketload, even though it ϳ¤ì¤ëd a day ahead of ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë.'
Taylor - who recently teased a '»þ¹ïɽ¡¿Í½Äêɽ' to her fans ahead of the LP's ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë - ºÇ½é ȯɽ¤¹¤ëd the album while ¡Ä¤Ë½ÐÀʤ¹¤ëing the 2024 Grammys?in February.
The ¸ª½ñ¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ë of her ºÇ¿·¤Î work had ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ëd fans to ¿ä¬¤¹¤ë that the »Ø̾¤¹¤ë was ÌÜŪ¡Ê¤È¤¹¤ë¡Ëd at her ex, Joe.?
As the album ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë streaming ÃÅ¡¦¹ËÎΡ¦¸øÌós, Swift published a Èó¾ï¤ËŤ¤ À¼ÌÀ on Instagram where she ½Ò¤Ù¤ëd it as 'an anthology of new ºîÉÊ that È¿±Ç¤¹¤ë events, opinions and ´¶¾ðs from a (n)´ÏÂâ¡¿(a)ÁÇÁᤤing and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal ¼êÃÊ.'?
She continued: 'This period of the author's life is now over, the °ì»þ´ü¡¿»ÙÉô ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ëd and boarded up. There is nothing to avenge, no ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£°s to settle once Éé½ý¤µ¤»¤ës have ½ý¤ò¤¤¤ä¤¹¡¿Ï²ò¤µ¤»¤ëd. And upon ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î reflection, a good number of them turned out to be self-¡ÊÂǷ⡤·ºÈ³¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÍ¿¤¨¤ëd.
'This writer is of the ²ñ¼Ò¡¿·ø¤¤ belief that our ÎÞ¡¿¤Û¤³¤í¤Ós become ½¡¶µ¾å¤Î in the form of ½ð̾¡¿Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë on a page. Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê of it.
'And then all that's left behind is the ¹éÌäd poetry,' ·ëÏÀ¤¹¤ëd Swift, as she ȯɽ¤¹¤ëd: 'THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is out now.'
Hours later, Swift surprised fans by ȯɽ¤¹¤ëing it was a surprise ÆóÎÝÂÇ album.??
¤Ë¤â¤«¤«¤ï¤é¤º already splashing out for ¿½Å¤Î ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇs of the µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë in a ´ë¤Æ¡¤ÅØÎÏ¡¤Äó°Æ to get their ¼êÅϤ¹s on all four ÆÃÊ̼êÅö Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ës, fans will have to part with even more hard-earned cash when the ºÇ¹â¤Î-sized µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë goes on sale.
After ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing her new album at midnight ET (2am UK time), Taylor took to Instagram to ȯɽ¤¹¤ë her ºÇ¿·¤Î µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë was ¸½¼Â¤Ë a surprise 'ÆóÎÝÂÇ album,' after Ͷȯ¤¹¤ëing a flurry of ²±Â¬ by ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ëing a countdown clock on social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß.
Captioning the ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ë, Taylor told her ¿®Êô¼Ôs that she'd written 'so much ¹éÌäd poetry in the past two years' that she ¼êÇÛÃæ¤Î¡¤¤ª¿Ò¤Í¼Ô to ³ô it with her fans.
³ôing the ÆóÎÝÂÇ album was called The ¹éÌäd Poets Department: The Anthology, she wrote: 'It's a 2am surprise: The ¹éÌäd Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. ???
'I'd written so much ¹éÌäd poetry in the past 2 years and ¼êÇÛÃæ¤Î¡¤¤ª¿Ò¤Í¼Ô to ³ô it all with you, so here's the second ʬ³äʧ¤¤ of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn't ÃÏÍë anymore¡Ä it's all yours.'?
Fans are ǼÆÀ¤µ¤»¤ëd the 24th Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë - thanK you aIMee - is ÌÜŪ¡Ê¤È¤¹¤ë¡Ëd at Kim, as the letters K,I and M are capped up to ¡Ê°ìÄê¤Î¡Ë´ü´Ö out her »Ø̾¤¹¤ë.?
Taylor sings in one line: 'There's a bronze spray-tanned statue of you and a plaque underneath it/That ¶¼¤¹s to ²¡¤·¿Ê¤á¤ë me É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë the stairs, at our school.'
Taylor also seems to ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë out at Kim's 10-year-old daughter North West as she sings: 'And so I changed your »Ø̾¤¹¤ë, and any real defining ¼ê¤¬¤«¤ê¡Ê¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ë¡Ës/And one day, your kid comes home singin' a song that only us two is gonna know is about you.'
³ôing their thoughts on social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß ÃÅ¡¦¹ËÎΡ¦¸øÌó X, fans wrote: 'The ultimate f**k you';
'OMFG thanK you aIMee is about Kim Kardashian. This album is SO unhinged';
'Kim your day of reckoning is here'; 'Welcome to your tape'?
Regardless, the new µÏ¿¡¤µÏ¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µÏ¿¤¹¤ë earned a flurry of ¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ë from fans on social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß, with some quickly labelling the LP a 'masterpiece.'
ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ës ´Þ¤àd: 'IM CRYING RN. TAYLOR WE LOVE YOU!!!!; This is going to be the best album Taylor has made I know it.'?
'13 seconds in and its already the best album; 'OMG Taylor this is a masterpiece!! Thank you for this amazing album!! Love you.'?
'Me as soon as each Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë begins; 'I love this song!'
'I love it so much already; THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM YOU'VE EVER MADE.'?
'You literally have a way with words that no one else has, it's SO breathtaking. THANK you for all that you do, once again. now if you'll excuse me, I got an album to stream all day;'
'Fortnight is so so soooooo good you and @PostMalone together #TSTTPD I can't believe I went this long without you two on a Àפò¤Ä¤±¤ë together! I'm so excited to delve into this album!'?
'the ¸½¼Â²½ that this album is more about matty healy than joe alwyn; Joe Alwyn breathing a sigh of µßºÑ tonight #TTPD;
'She so real for this. This album is so good and the same unique.'
'It's crazy but her Àâ that they think Charlie Puth should be bigger just ³Îǧ¤¹¤ës for me that the song is 100% Matty. That is Àµ³Î¤Ë¡¿¤Þ¤µ¤Ë something Matty Healy would say;'
'joe alwyn to matty healy tonigh t,' a fan penned, along with a GIF of, 'Call the µßµÞ¼Ö! But not for me!'
'joe alwyn you will begin to cough in two minutes,' and ³ôd the lyrics, 'And I'm p***ed off you let me give you all that ÀÄǯ for ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê.'?
They were also quick to clock that Taylor's album ¿½¤·¹þ¤à¡¿¿½¤·½Ðd plenty of insight into the end of her six-year romance with actor Joe Alwyn,?ƱÍÍ¤Ë as her short-lived fling with The 1975 rocker Matty Healy.
Many fans had ͽÊ󤹤ëd that The ¹éÌäd Poets Department album would be the ultimate Joe/Taylor 'Êø²õ¡¿Ê¬Îö album' as it's been ¿ä¬¤¹¤ëd the »Ø̾¤¹¤ë was a direct dig at the British actor, who she »þÂåÃÙ¤ì¤Î from 2016 to Áá´ü¤Ë 2023.?
Swift ÀßΩ¤¹¤ë herself in a whirlwind romance with Healy ¡½ though neither ever ľÀÜ¡¿¤Þ¤Ã¤¹¤°¤Ë ³Îǧ¤¹¤ëd ¡½ that started in April 2023 after they were seen kissing in NYC.?
But the fling ended as µÞ®¤Ê¡¿ÊüÆ¢¤Ê as it began after Healy's 'bad boy' image and '¿Í¼ïº¹Ê̼çµÁ¼Ô' ȯ¸À¡¿½Ò¤Ù¤ës?¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ëd squeaky clean Swift to ľÌ̤¹¤ë ¡Ê·ã¤·¤¤¡Ëȿȯ.
Swift is now happily in love with Kansas City Ĺ¡¤»ØƳ¼Ôs tight end Travis Kelce?¡½ but it's ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ she still has a few bones to Áª¤Ö with the 'worst men' in her life.