Published
Tue, Jul 11, 2023, 17:30
- A viral TikTok sees a Swift fan playing the US artist's new record, only for a Cabaret Voltaire track to play instead.
Taylor Swift's record-breaking new album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), has been mispressed as a compilation of rare UK electronica from the '90s.
The pressing mix-up was brought to light by a viral TikTok posted by user @mystic_marauder, who purchased the new Swift LP. She laughs and asks "what is this?" as the sounds of Cabaret Voltaire's "Soul Vine (70 Billion People)" and Thunderhead's "True Romance" can be heard as the record spins.
The compilation in question, Happy Land: A Compendium Of Electronic Music From The British Isles 1992-1996 Vol. 1, was released by label and distributor Above Board in March and also features music from the likes of Aphex Twin, Matthew Herbert and The Black Dog.
"I dunno what the hell has happened, but Taylor Swift's records seem to have been mispressed with our album," Above Board founder Dan Hill told Resident Advisor. "Swift fans on TikTok are calling it 'the cursed version.' It's a massive collision of worlds as the music featured is from such different musical spheres. Mistakes happen all the time, we've certainly made a few, but I hope the fans enjoy their surprise mix of electronic music. I'm sure it's going to be a Discogs rare pressing classic in years to come."
Released on July 7th via Republic Records, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) is a re-recorded version of her 2010 album of the same name. It has already broken the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for any album in 2023. The Pennsylvania-born artist also accounted for one in every 25 vinyl LPs sold in the US last year. The number of mispressed records remains to be seen.
Watch the TikTok, and listen to Cabaret Voltaire's "Soul Vine (70 Billion People)" in full.