THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

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So, I was talking earlier about the album… Basically, I am very excited for April 19th, because The Tortured Poets Department will be out on that date, and I cannot wait for you to hear all those songs. The Tortured Poets Department is an album that, I think, more than any of my albums that I’ve ever made, I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me, just the things I was going through, the things I was writing about, it kind of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life. I’ve never had an album where I needed to write more and I needed on The Tortured Poets Department.

— Via an Eras Tour show

During a show in Tokyo, Taylor spoke about the album creation process:

I’ve working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights. You turn in an album months in advance so you can make vinyls, which are the best. So I started working on [The Tortured Poets Department] immediately after that, and I’ve been working on it for about two years. I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour. And when it was perfect in my opinion, when it was good enough for [the fans], I finished it.

On February 4, 2024, Swift announced the album’s existence at the 2024 GRAMMY’s:

I wanna say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand new album comes out April 19th. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department!

On the same day, she posted the art and a poem with this caption on X (fka) Twitter:

All’s fair in love and poetry… New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19 🤍

The Tortured Poets Department is, allegedly, a reference to Swift’s six-year long relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn.

During a December 2022 conversation between Alwyn and fellow actor Paul Mescal, they mentioned being a part of a WhatsApp groupchat with Andrew Scott, called “The Tortured Men Club.” Around that same time was when Swift had written her 2023 track, “You’re Losing Me,” which is about her breakup with Alwyn.

Jow Alwyn had talked about this reference via his representatives via the Daily Mail shortly after the album’s announcement, saying:

It’s undeniable that the name of her upcoming album is in reference to Joe’s WhatsApp group chat. Taylor knocked him for the name of this when they were together. She didn’t want people to think that it had anything to do with her, so when he spoke out about it, she was, of course, bothered.

Yes! Alongside the album’s announcement, Taylor put pre-orders on her merch site for a CD, cassette, and vinyl.

Two physical releases have been announced so far, both containing a bonus track: One including “The Manuscript” and the other containing “The Bolter.”

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

– via X (fka Twitter)

Apple Music features an animated artwork for this release.