Taylor Swift appears to have dived even deeper into her recent relationships in the expanded instalment of her new album The Tortured Poets Department.
After preparing her fans for the release of her 11th album for months, the US pop superstar shocked them on Friday by releasing a second instalment with an additional 15 songs, bringing the total number of new tracks to an impressive 31.
The new edition, titled The Anthology, features The Black Dog, The Albatross, The Bolter and The Manuscript – the four songs that were included on exclusive vinyl editions of the initial album.
View this post on InstagramAdvertisement
Swift announced the album on Friday morning on social media, writing: “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret double album.
“I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second instalment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs.
“And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”
The first edition of the album is thought to be filled with hints over her recent break-ups with British actor Joe Alwyn and The 1975 star Matty Healy, as well as her current relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce.
It appears she has followed suit in the latter half of the album, as fans believe she has referenced an old interview when American football star Kelce was asked to play the game “Kiss, Marry or Kill” with Swift, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry on the song So High School.
In the track she sings “Are you going to marry, kiss or kill me? / It’s just a game but really / I’m betting on all three for us two”.
The pop star began a high-profile romance with Kelce last year and she has been spotted at many of his games, including rushing on to the field at the Super Bowl to kiss him after his third victory in five years, while the gridiron star has been spotted at a number of her Eras Tour concerts.
She appears to open up about the success of her new relationship further when she sings: “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle / Brand new, full throttle, touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto / It’s true, swear, scout’s honour / You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her.”
Another track, The Bolter, has caused fans to speculate if it is in reference to a book of the same name written by Frances Osbourne which is based on the story of her great-grandmother – Lady Idina Sackville – who was known for marrying and divorcing five men, which earned her the nickname The Bolter.
Lady Idina also inspired a character in Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel The Pursuit Of Love, which was adapted into a 2021 BBC mini series with Emily Mortimer playing The Bolter.
The series also featured Irish actor Andrew Scott, who is a friend of Swift’s former boyfriend Alwyn.
In December 2022, Alwyn and Normal People star Paul Mescal revealed they had a WhatsApp group chat with Scott called The Tortured Man Club, which led fans to speculate if Swift’s album title was in reference to this.
Fans have also pondered if Swift made reference to her song The Albatross with her Grammy outfit in February, which saw her wear an elegant white gown with long, black gloves – similar to the bird’s white body and black wing appearance.
The US singer-songwriter announced her new album while collecting the Grammy for best pop vocal album for her previous studio album Midnight.
Also among the string of extra songs on the “double album” are imgonnagetyouback, I Hate It Here, How Did It End? and The Prophecy.
