In Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets,’ the torture is in the songwriting

When Taylor Swift announced her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” earlier this year at the Grammys, I was equal parts curious and unaffected.

Even as a lifelong fan, I wasn’t fond of her previous effort, “Midnights,” cause I found most of it overwhelmingly uninspired, despite it winning Album of the Year.

Nevertheless, Swift’s command over the zeitgeist makes her inescapable, and as a fan of most of her work, I’m bound to engage with her offerings regardless.

The quality and acclaim of her previous works made me cling to the futile hope that “Midnights” was just a fluke. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.

Swift is known for writing songs based on her own life experiences, this artistic choice has made her synonymous with a certain brand of relatability and bestowed her with scrutiny and acclaim alike.