It all started with a surprise announcement during her 13th Grammy's win (yes, that number means something in the Swiftie-verse), and now it's finally here.
The Tortured Poet's Department (TTPD), Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, is out.
Swift herself dropped a poetic statement on her Instagram when the album was released on Friday 2pm AEST, written in the third person like an autopsy report.
She wrote, "this period of the author’s life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up".
And went on to summarise the new album in one line:
"Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it."
So… how are we all feeling?
In a word… 'ouch'
This album is a melancholy emotional journey that Swift's fans are very happy to join her on… as depressing as it may be.
It's giving heartbreak, it's giving sad, it's giving… psych ward chic?
And recovery time for fans will not be quick, judging by their dramatic reactions so far.
This appears to be a break-up album about more than one person
Rumours that this would be a break-up album appear to be true, but it's not just about Joe Alwyn, her ex-boyfriend of six years.
Swift's short-term romance with Matty Healy, lead singer of the 1975, is also seemingly referenced.
The raw emotion in Swift's lyrics is one of the reasons her fans keep coming back for more… and TTPD seems to be delivering some of the deepest cuts.
What we really want to know is, who is the "tattooed golden retriever" she sings about in the title track?
We probably already know.
Jack Antonoff is back
Swift's long-time collaborator, Jack Antonoff, is back on deck as a producer on TTPD and he, and the internet, are happy about it.
There's no doubt where those synth references have come from.
Who features on the new album?
While we already found out in February who would be featuring on TTPD, fans are very excited after actually listening to Swift's collaborations with Post Malone on the lead single Fortnight, and Florence + the Machine on Florida!!!
Surprisingly, pop singer Charlie Puth gets a shout-out in the titular track, and so does "Lucy" — who the internet believes to be indie music darling (and boygenius member) Lucy Dacus.
And surprise! It's a double album
You read that right, there's two.
Fans were wondering why a second countdown had appeared on Swift's Instagram page, and why the reference to the number two had continued to pop up via her signature Easter eggs in the lead up to the album's release.
Of course, in poetic fashion, two hours after TTPD's release Swift announced that it is, in fact, a double album, titled The Tortured Poet's Department: The Anthology.
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Fans — still processing the first 16 tracks and undeniably overwhelmed — lost their minds.
The surprise announcement certainly shut down the early leak rumours, pardon the pun, quite swiftly.
What's next and can we handle much more?
If Midnights was a break-up album, the internet's reactions signal that TTPD is the post-mortem — dissecting thoroughly what went wrong and why.
What's next? Well, the Fortnight music video will drop for Australian fans Saturday 10am AEST.
And the music video's preview clip is already giving a very Poor Things/Charles Dickens vibe.
Fun fact: Swift's friend and Poor Things actor, Emma Stone, has been listed as a collaborator on the TTPD credits.
It's safe to say that if you blocked out tonight to listen to the album, you now may need to cancel your weekend plans to cover those 15 extra tracks.