Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Culture

The Tortured Poets Department has got us “Down Bad”

Updated Published
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

Taylor Swift has done it again. She has taken the nation by surprise by releasing not one album but a “second” surprise album wrapped into The Tortured Poets Department. This extension has been named The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Swifties everywhere were speculating that there was something Taylor Swift had been planning but no one saw this coming!

Swift initially announced this album on February 4th during the Grammy’s when she was awarded her 13th Grammy, winning the category of Best Pop Vocal Album. In the following weeks, she announced four bonus tracks: “The Manuscript”, “The Bolter”, “The Black Dog”, and “The Albatross”. Fans everywhere were ecstatic that we would be getting four bonus songs. However, fans everywhere were in for a surprise when at 2 a.m. Friday, she released 11 additional songs to go with those four for a total of 15 additional songs. I have to say, Taylor Swift has outdone herself this time.

After listening to all of the tracks, I can safely say that this album is an absolute masterpiece and has not let down fans. The tracks are lyrically masterful and leave the listeners with so much to think about. My favorites by far include “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”, “Down Bad”, “Fortnight”, and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”. I can already tell this album will be on repeat for me for weeks to come!

However, there is more! You are probably thinking, what else? Well, within 24 hours of releasing this album, she has broken some of her own records! The biggest record she has broken pertains to Spotify. TTPD is officially the first album to surpass 200 million streams on Spotify in a single day with over 300 million streams. If this wasn’t impressive enough, she was also the artist to previously hold the record for most streams of an album in 24 hours with not only 1989 Taylor’s Version and Midnights.

Overall, Taylor Swift is truly a mastermind and a powerhouse of an artist. If you haven’t already, go stream The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on Spotify or wherever you listen to your music!

Carissa Ray is the president of the Purdue Chapter of Her Campus. Last year she held the position of senior editor. She also writes articles for the chapter and typically writes entertainment pieces. She has been a member of the chapter since January of 2023! Carissa is currently a senior studying at Purdue University. She is majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Spanish and Forensic Sciences. Aside from Her Campus, Carissa is also on the board of the Purdue Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honors society. She was recently elected as the president for the 2024-25 academic year. She is also a mentor for the College of Health and Human Sciences. In the future, she hopes to become a Forensic Psychologist and potentially work for the FBI. When she is not busy with school, Carissa is a huge book nerd and loves to read anything with mystery, romance, or fantasy. She also loves dancing and is part of the Purdue Higher Ground Dance Company. She enjoys jazz, hip hop, and theater dance styles. Finally, if she has any extra time, she is a TV buff and enjoys binging TV shows like Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, or Supernatural.