When it comes to rabid music fan bases few are as unhinged as self-proclaimed “Swifties.”
They essentially serve as Taylor Swift’s personal online army willing and ready to attack her critics with overwhelming force at a moment’s notice.
And this music reviewer is being forced into hiding after this negative Taylor Swift review sent the “Swiftie” mob over the edge.
Magazine publishes Taylor Swift album review without a byline
Taylor Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department has been one of the biggest newsmakers of the past week.
Despite her hardcore fans praising the new music, as usual, not everyone is a fan.
Paste Magazine recently published a scathing review of the album, and the editor chose to do so without an author byline.
“Editor’s Note: There is no byline on this review due to how, in 2019 when Paste reviewed ‘Lover,’ the writer was sent threats of violence from readers who disagreed with the work,” Paste wrote on X.
The magazine added it cares ‘more about the safety of our staff than a name attached to an article.”
The headline of the review says, “Taylor Swift Strikes Out” when referring to the new album, while the byline simply reads: “Paste Staff.’”
Swift’s album was awarded a 3.6 out of 10 rating in the article, and the opening sentence reads: “Slyvia Plath did not stick her head in an oven for this!”
According to Metacritic, Paste’s article is the only “negative” review of The Tortured Poet’s Department.
Most publications praised the album, with Rolling Stone saying it was Swift’s “most personal album yet.”
However, Paste’s review was especially critical, saying that Swift “can’t help but infantilize” her fans and that it had “irredeemable, relentlessly cringe” lyrics.
The review also noted, “This is your songwriter of the century? Open the schools.”
Paste wasn’t the only mag with a mediocre review
Two other “mixed” reviews were published by two publications: the New York Times and New Musical Express (NME).
The New York Times’ review said the singer-songwriter “could use an editor,” and accused Swift of using too much filler.
“At times the album is a return to form. Its first two songs are potent reminders of how viscerally Swift can summon the flushed delirium of a doomed romance. – Great poets know how to condense, or at least how to edit. The sharpest moments of The Tortured Poet’s Department would be even more piercing in the absence of excess, but instead, the clutter lingers, while Swift holds an unlit match,” the review read.
NME’s review noted that Swift’s new album isn’t nearly as good as her previous work.
The NME review states, “Ultimately this record lacks the genuinely interesting shifts that have punctuated Swift’s career so far, from the lyrical excellence on her superior breakup album Red to 1989’s pivot to high-octane pop.”
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
