Taylor Swift Album ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Release Date, Track List And More

16 April 2024, 17:08 | Updated: 18 April 2024, 11:52

By Capital FM

@CapitalOfficial

When is Taylor Swift’s new album coming out, what does 'Tortured Poets Department’ mean? And what songs will be on the track list? Read on for all the details so far.

Just when we thought Taylor Swift was taking a break from announcing surprise albums as she works on her last two re-release projects and performs around the world on The Eras Tour, she had our jaws on the floor when she revealed at the 2024 Grammys she’s been working on a new record for the past two years.

As she accepted the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Midnights’ the 14-time Grammy winner announced her brand new album before rushing off stage to post a picture of the cover on her social media channels.

She said during her speech: “I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years. Which is that, my brand new album comes out April 19th. It’s called ‘Tortured Poets Department’.”

Since Taylor dropped the track list – which you can view below – fans are convinced the new songs are about her ex Joe Alwyn.

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Taylor, whose boyfriend Travis Kelce will soon join her on The Eras Tour, also posted the album cover, a black and white picture of herself laying in white bedding in a black two-piece. Since the first announcement Taylor has revealed four editions of the album - all with bonus tracks.

When is 'Tortured Poets Department' coming out and what songs are on the track list? We've got the latest below...

Is 'Tortured Poets Department' a new album?

Yes! 'Tortured Poets Department' is a brand new album from Taylor and completely unexpected by fans, who thought 'Reputation – Taylor's Version' would be her next release as she continues working on her re-recordings project.

However, she's secretly been working on the 2024 album for two years! We can only applaud Miss Swift for being this good at surprises.

Watch the trailer for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour

What is a 'Tortured Poets Department', what does it mean?

Given the enigma that is Taylor's brain, it's not known just yet where the inspiration for 'Tortured Poets Department' came from, however, the name is kind of similar to the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams, a poetry teacher, who encourages his students to go against the status quo.

'Tortured Poets Department' could also be a reference to her ex Joe Alwyn who's said in the past that he was in a group chat called 'Tortured Man Club' with Paul Mescal, who dated Taylor's good friend Phoebe Bridgers, and Andrew Scott. Taylor was in a relationship with Joe for six years before they split at the start of 2023.

This is all just speculation however; Taylor will no doubt share more about the meaning behind the album's name in the upcoming months.

When is ‘Tortured Poets Department’ coming out?

Taylor’s new album ‘Tortured Poets Department’ is coming out on Friday 19th April 2024.

While she didn’t give Swifties much more information than that, she did share a picture of her handwriting on a lyric sheet. More on that below!

What is the track list for 'Tortured Poets Department'?

Here's the complete track list for 'Tortured Poets Department':

Side A:

• 'Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)'
• 'The Tortured Poets Department'
• 'My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys'
• 'Down Bad'

Side B:

• 'So Long, London'
• 'But Daddy I Love Him'
• 'Fresh Out the Slammer'
• "Florida!!!" (feat. Florence + The Machine)

Side C:

• 'Guilty as Sin?"
• "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?'
• 'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)'
• 'loml'

Side D:

• 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart'
• 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived'
• 'The Alchemy'
• 'Clara Bow'

Bonus Tracks:

• 'The Manuscript'
• 'The Bolter'
• 'The Albatross'
• 'The Black Dog'

In one of her announcement posts she also shared what seems to be a verse from one of her new songs:

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.

She signed it of: “All’s fair in love and poetry… Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department.”

What are the special editions of the 'Tortured Poets Department'?

Taylor has announced four special editions of the new album; The Manuscript', 'The Bolter', 'The Albatross' and 'The Black Dog'.

Each edition has different artwork and features a bonus track with the same title as the edition. In March the singer announced 'The Black Dog' as her final special edition of the album.

Who did Taylor Swift work with on 'Tortured Poets Department'?

Taylor has collaborated with Post Malone and Florence and the Machine on her new album; Florence features on 'Florida' while Post Malone is featured on 'Fortnight'. Meanwhile, Aaron Dessner co-wrote five out of the 16 songs on the track list.

Life-long collaborator and best friend Jack Antonoff is also involved in the album as he works with her on almost every one of her creations.

Taylor gave life-long pal Jack a shoutout as she accepted Album of the Year for ‘Midnights’ at the Grammys.

“I get to work with one of my best friends, who is not only one of my best friends but is also a once in a generation producer, that’s Jack Antonoff. I’m so lucky.”

She also gave a shout out to her engineers Laura Cisk and Serban Ghenea and good friend Lana Del Rey who she worked with on ‘Snow On The Beach’ and who was up on the stage with her too.

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