Everything We Know About Taylor Swift’s ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’
Happy ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’ release week to all those who are preparing to celebrate!
This is a very special time for all us Swifties. Being graced with a brand new Taylor album was not on our bingo card for 2024 when we were anticipating reputation TV and Debut TV, but what a surprise it was when Taylor announced her 11th studio album at the Grammy’s back in February.
Since then we’ve actually found out very little about the album, but Taylor has given us a few Easter eggs. So, here’s everything we know about ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’….
Background To The Album For The Locals
On February 4, 2024, the day of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards where Midnights had been nominated, Taylor teased the release of a new album by changing the profile pictures across her social media accounts to black-and-white.
Fans speculated (clowned) online that she was preparing to release reputation (Taylor’s Version), a forthcoming re-recording of her sixth studio album, reputation (2017).
Taylor’s website also appeared as if it had malfunctioned, reporting an unusual non-standard HTTP status code 321, as well as error code “hneriergrd”, which fans deciphered to be an anagram spelling “red herring. The source code of the website contained non-English words.
After Taylor won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, she announced a new studio album that she had been working on for 2 years, titled THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, set for release on April 19, 2024. The album cover artwork was posted to her social media accounts, along with a photograph of a handwritten note, which incorporated English translations of the words from the source code
And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All’s fair in love and poetry…
Sincerely, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department.
What is ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’?
At the moment we’re kinda in the dark about the context for the title of the album. There’s been speculation that the album leans into dark academia, which is a popular genre at the moment.
There’s also been speculation that the album title is a call out to Taylor’s ex, Joe Alwyn, who previously admitted to being in a Whattsapp group with Irish actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, called ‘The Tortured Man Club’.
Do We Know The Track Listing For TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT?
We do! Taylor revealed the full track listing of 16 standard songs plus 4 bonus songs on each special edition vinyl and CD.
1. Fortnight” (featuring Post Malone)
2. “The Tortured Poets Department”
3. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
4. “Down Bad”
5. “So Long, London”
6. “But Daddy I Love Him”
7. “Fresh Out the Slammer”
8. “Florida!!!” (featuring Florence and the Machine)
9. “Guilty as Sin?”
10. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
11. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
12. “Loml”
13. “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart”
14. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
15. “The Alchemy”
16. “Clara Bow”
Bonus Tracks
- “The Manuscript”
- The Bolter
- The Albatross
- The Black Dog
How Many Vinyl Variants Are There For “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”?
So far there have been 5 variants of “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”.
- The standard edition THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (GHOST WHITE EDITION + BONUS TRACK “THE MANUSCRIPT”)
- The limited edition THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (PHANTOM CLEAR EDITION + BONUS TRACK “THE MANUSCRIPT”) – TAYLOR SWIFT
- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (The Bolter)
- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (The Albatross)
- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (The Black Dog)
Each variant contains a different bonus track.
Are The Limited Edition Tortured Poets Department Vinyls Available In Ireland?
Yes, you can! Taylor doesn’t have an official Irish store online (boo!) as it redirects to either her UK or US store, but you can purchase Taylor vinyls and Cds in Ireland from The Record Hub and Golden Dicks. Some of the limited edition vinyls are available in Ireland. Golden Discs and The Record Hub are both selling the “Phantom Clear” vinyl addition.
Are you excited to hear ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’?