"No, seriously, it's really good" insists Erin Mitle, a 34-year old home designer.
When asked what, specifically, Erin enjoyed about the new album The Tortured Poets Department, Erin said that she had listened to the new album nearly half a dozen times happily and was "totally convinced" that it was Swift's most talented work.
"It's even better than Lover", said Erin very quickly, before taking several deep breaths. "Even though obviously, that's like, crazy," she added.
While Erin was able to recite every song title and track length from the new hit album, as well as detailing each social media Easter egg leading up to the album's release, we were unable to nail down exactly what she liked about the album.
"Everything! I said everything! Look, if you don't like it or her music isn't for you, whatever, but I love it and she is so real."
Erin nodded her head in rapid succession along with her enthusiastic praise for Taylor.
"I don't know if you guys listened to Lover, but some of the lyrics from Tortured Poets Department are as deeply moving as Lover's title track's line "magnetic force of a man". God what a perfect line. Even though, duh, Tortured Poets Department lyrics are even better."
When asked if the new album was actually called 'The' Tortured Poets Department, Erin said she was going to call up her friend to discuss the album and had no further comments.
Ms. Mitle immediately left the room, leaving her phone between us on the coffee table, and has not returned to her own home in the last 40 minutes.
As a fellow enjoyer of heavy/extreme music, I appreciate a well-written song in any genre, and I'd say her talents are far more along the songwriting vein. She's a reasonable musician, but her ear for hooks and her lyricism are far more remarkable than her musicianship.
If anything, you might like Cardigan. I've enjoyed metal and some rap most of my life, and I find that those are more about the lyrics than the melody (but obviously the melody matters). Cardigan is one of her best lyrical songs, IMO.
If that's a serious question, I think Lover is her closest album to something like that. It's a pretty fun mix of modern electro-pop songs with some decent lyrics.
Disclaimer: I am far from a true swiftie and others might disagree with me
I wrote that Lover is the closest to synthwave, but that was before I listened to some of Midnights with my daughter in the car. Midnights is very synthwavey in a The Weeknd/Billie Eilish way. Probably you were just making a joke and aren't actually interested, but in case you are, give the whole album a listen. You might actually find something you like there.
I've tried, and her music is fine but it's just not convincing enough to relisten, and absolutely nothing she's made justifies the cult like obsession from swifties.
As far as female pop singers go, I'd much rather listen to Purity Ring. Or any jpop/jrock outfit with a female singer for that matter.