Excitement is building for Taylor Swift’s upcoming 15th album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” set to release on April 19. Swift has been dropping hints and Easter eggs for fans, including lyrics and curated playlists that give clues to the album’s themes. Speculation suggests the album may address her breakup with Joe Alwyn, with the tracklist featuring 16 songs, including one titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” Collaborators on the album include Florence + the Machine and Post Malone. Swift’s strategic marketing moves and personal ties to the album’s content have fans eagerly anticipating its release.
Unveiling Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’
Excitement is peaking for Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department. With a release date of April 19, the album is poised to make history for the Grammy darling, who’s coming off a hugely successful world tour and, of course, her hugely successful NFL season (her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, may have been the one on the field, but she certainly made just as many headlines).
The Tracklist and Collaborators on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
Swift has released 14 albums to date (including 10 studio albums), with The Tortured Poets Department slated to be No. 15. Four of the releases are rerecordings of previous albums, which are subtitled Taylor’s Version. The rereleases came after Scooter Braun acquired the rights to some of Swift’s music in 2019. She did it to coincide with winning her 13th Grammy award (as fans know, 13 is her lucky number) earlier this year.
The Tortured Poets Department track list Swift posted on social media includes 16 songs, including one also titled “The Tortured Poets Department” and another with the very excellent title “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can).” Among those confirmed to perform on The Tortured Poets Department are Florence + the Machine and Post Malone. During the leadup to the Super Bowl in February, Swift’s boyfriend was asked about the new album, and he said he had heard parts of it, calling her music “unbelievable.”
Clues, Playlists, and Speculations
As Swift’s fans know, many of her songs deal with love and heartbreak. Two weeks before the album’s release, the singer sparked a frenzy when she released five playlists on Apple Music that she curated from her catalog that matched up with the five stages of heartbreak (including anger and depression). She included a statement about each phase, prompting speculation over how the stages will be addressed in the new album.
Swift caused another frenzy when she dropped three lyrics from an unnamed song: “Crowd goes wild at her fingertips//Half moonshine,//Full eclipse.” Appropriately enough, she did this as the world was preparing for the full eclipse and those two words were already dominating internet searches. She is nothing if not media savvy. Swift famously sends messages with all her decisions. Fans have speculated that this album will address her 2023 breakup with Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for six years. The pair split in April of last year, so the album is coming out right around that anniversary.
Exclusive Vinyl and Sales Records
The retailer will sell a Phantom Clear vinyl exclusive that also comes with a book-bound jacket that includes reproductions of handwritten lyrics from the album. Each of her previous albums have sold at least 1 million copies, including her most recent release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which came out in October 2023 and sold more than 2 million copies. Nine of her albums have sold more than 2 million copies.
