The New York Post today launches a new exclusive video series: “Listen! The music beats with Chuck Arnold.
Every Friday, resident music critic Arnold will bring his 30 years of knowledge to the camera with trusted critical commentary, exclusive music news and event coverage, plus can’t-miss selections for the weekend.
Each week he’ll dive into the hottest music news – album releases and single releases from the biggest superstars and hottest new artists – and everything you need to know to stay in the know with the music moment.
For the first episode, it’s all about Taylor Swift.
Swift, of course, released her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on Friday. The 17-track setlist is filled with her famous Easter eggs, songs dedicated to beau Travis Kelce and several lyrical allusions to her ex-boyfriends Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy and more.
But that wasn’t enough for the 14-time Grammy Award winner. She also surprised Swifties with 15 additional songs at 2 a.m., making it a double album.
“Sure enough, there’s a lot of ‘bad blood’ spilled over Swift’s latest. And with the raw honesty and specificity of her lyrics, she’s clearly in her ‘IDGAF’ era,” Arnold said of Swift’s new music in his review. “In fact, the album begins with back-to-back shocks that might just have you clutching your pearls – or, in this case, your friendship bracelets.”
Here’s what you need to know about Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department”:
- The 14-time Grammy winner released her highly anticipated 11th studio album “The Tortured Poets Department” on Friday.
- Swift sent her fans into a 2 a.m. frenzy after revealing the record was a double album. Titled “The Anthology,” Swift’s late-night surprise features 15 bonus tracks, bringing the total number of songs to 31.
- Swift initially unveiled her 16-song album at midnight, including collaborations with Post Malone and Florence Welch on two tracks. There are also four bonus tracks, “The Manuscript”, “The Bolter”, “The Albatross” and “The Black Dog”, which appear on various vinyl versions of the album. All four tracks, along with 11 new songs, are included in “The Anthology.”
- A poem about heartbreak that serves as the album’s prologue was written by Stevie Nicks, formerly of Fleetwood Mac.
- There are several celebrity names sprinkled throughout the album’s lyrics, the mention of singer Charlie Puth’s name surprising some Swifties.
- While some of Swift’s exes aren’t spared on “TTPD,” the 34-year-old singer apparently references her current boyfriend Travis Kelce on the new album’s track “The Alchemy” in an affectionate way.
- As for his exes, 1975 frontman Matty Healy would be mentioned throughout the 31-song record. In fact, Healy – who, before their summer split, was a rebound romance for the pop superstar following her split from British actor Joe Alwyn after six years – appears to be the subject of the vicious takedown of ‘The Littlest man of all times. Other fans, however, may speculate that the “bubbly summer” phrase is about Alwyn. There are also hints that “I Can Fix It” – I gotta love that title – might be about 35-year-old Healy.
- As for Alwyn, Swift alluded to the couple’s ill-fated 6-year romance for a good — or for him, not so good — part of the album. Discover the 10 references related to Alwyn that we spotted.
- Read the Post’s review of “The Department of Tortured Poets” here.
- Shop for special edition vinyl from Taylor Swift’s “Department of Tortured Poets” at Target.
- Buy the special edition “The Tortured Poets Department” Ghosted White 2 LP now.
Other topics this week? Fresh tunes from the Beatles – well, their kids, at least – James McCartney’s “Primrose Hill,” co-written by Sean Ono Lennon. Plus, an exclusive look at Bad Bunny and Maggie Rogers’ Big Apple tour stops, plus her weekend music picks, from Billy Joel and Coachella to Alicia Keys.
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