Aaron Dessner, the guitarist and producer of The National, has expressed his gratitude for working on Taylor Swift’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Dessner worked on the album with his brother Bryce Dessner and Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. He had previously worked with Swift on her previous three albums, ‘Folklore’, ‘Evermore’, and other “re-recorded” LPs. In turn, Swift provided vocals and lyrics for The National’s 2023 album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’.
Dessner took to his Instagram to share his excitement and honor for contributing to Swift’s 31 song double album/anthology, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, which they started working on over two years ago. He described the songs as some of the most “lyrically acute, intricate, vulnerable and cathartic Taylor has ever written”. He also thanked Antonoff, his brother, and several engineers credited with working on the LP, acknowledging that he “could never have made all this music without a village of friends supporting” him.
The album, however, received mixed reviews from critics. NME awarded it three stars and described it as a “rare misstep” for Swift, adding that it is surprisingly flat and, at times, cringeworthy. Despite the reviews, Swift is set to resume her career-spanning ‘Eras Tour’ in Europe next month before heading to the UK and Ireland in June. As part of the run, she is due to play eight shows at Wembley Stadium in London this summer, with support from Paramore.
Dessner concluded his Instagram post, expressing how lucky he was that this was his job and how grateful he felt to be part of creating the vast, magically detailed, and symbolic world of songs Swift has crafted. He added that with each listen, listeners will find new details, layers, or slivers of meaning in the songs
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