Taylored to startle

Swifties flocked to their idol's latest release in their millions. Awaiting them was Taylor at her most raw and brave. 

- BALANA RAE

It takes a while for the dust to settle after a Taylor Swift album release. Social media is a-flurry, and every major outlet delivers a review almost instantaneously - they're often as detailed as the album itself. That's understandable when there is so much to decode. Two hours after the release of The Tortured Poets Department, Swift released 15 more songs coined The Anthology, inflating the total track list to 31.

There are an overwhelming number of words, so much so the melodies feel as if they're bursting at the seams. The lyrics meander, which is odd when Swift has such a talent for satisfying, succinct storytelling. She seems aware of it, though. She says she sounds "like an infant, feeling like the very last drops of an ink pen". But that's not to say there aren't impressive, sometimes funny and naturally poetic moments throughout.