【Watch Dark Fantasies (2010)】

Over here in non-debate news,Watch Dark Fantasies (2010) there's been a lot of chatter over the past few days about whether Taylor Swift will be dropping her sixth studio album in the next few weeks (most notably, the Washington Postlays out a few reachingreasons here).

As any good Swiftie is aware, Taylor is a highly regimented professional who has dropped an album right around the end of October every two years for the past decade -- like clockwork. She first soared into our hearts with Taylor Swifton Oct. 24, 2006; Fearlessmade her a global superstar Nov. 11, 2008; Speak Nowbegan its domination Oct. 25, 2010 and Redstarted her pop crossover Oct. 22, 2012 before she released her Grammy winning pop opus 1989on Oct. 27, 2014.

Math fans have been crossing their fingers Swift would give us the general election distraction we all so desperately need. Like, any day now.

However, as much as Taylor's legion of fans may wish it so, a new Taylor album likely isn't coming in 2016. Each of the aforementioned albums was preceded by a late-summer lead single rollout. This year, that hasn’t happened -- and unless Taylor Swift is planning a surprise for the ages, we're going to roll into 2017 without a new full LP. (An email to Swift’s rep about Taylor's album plans was not returned.)

Don't believe me? Let’s break down why you're probably going to be waiting a bit longer for some new "Shake It Off"-esque tunes for your breakup playlist.

1. PR-wise, the usually squeaky-clean star has had a rough few months, between the fallout from the Kanye/Taylor leaked phone call to the media circus surrounding her maybe summer fling with Tom Hiddleston. She's a global superstar who's obviously going to be just fine, but in that infamous phone chat, Swift told Kanye she was concerned about overexposure. Someone as savvy as Swift is going to be able to take the national temperature and note that staying relatively quiet a bit longer is in her best interest, longevity-wise -- just look how Adele was rewarded following her four-year break between albums. (Swift's social media game has also been noticeably quieter since May.)

2. After wrapping her blockbuster 1989world tour -- which brought her career to new heights -- last December, she announced she was going to take a well-deserved breather, telling Vogue, "I think I should take some time off. People might need a break from me." For the May 2016 Vogue cover story (her most recent major interview), she reiterated that fans might be in for a bit of a dry spell: "I just decided that after the past year, with all of the unbelievable things that happened … I decided I was going to live my life a little bit without the pressure on myself to create something."

3. While Taylor Swift indisputably can dominate no matter who she is up against, the pop star field is going to be pretty crowded for the next bit. Lady Gaga's Joannewill drop Oct. 21, and Katy Perry has promised new music soon. Adele and Beyonce will duke it out at the Grammys in February, and then will both presumably be mostly sitting out for the remainder of 2017, creating an ideal opening for Swift. It's in Team Swift's best interest to wait for her own window where she can fully own headlines and radio.

4. Taylor Swift's next big show since the 1989tour wrapped in Dec. 2015 will be her huge concert in Austin at the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix race Oct. 22. While it's sure to be a night to remember (not to mention a celebratory event marking a decade in the business for her), it seems unlikely to serve as a launchpad for new music. All the marketing around the concert has been touting the event as her only show in 2016. If she were to launch a full set of new music, she likely would want to have more concerts and appearances peppering the last weeks of 2016 to continue buzz and momentum.

❤️ pic.twitter.com/TL9xT3Lavj

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) October 10, 2016

5. Remember her blitz for 1989? From partnering with Scholastic and the city of New York to answering questions about emojis, she was everywhere. Swift comes off well in interviews and appearances, and she uses that inherent likability to her advantage, thereby playing a totally different PR game than Beyonce, the artist most associated with total secrecy around projects. The strategy paid off: Swift's total ubiquity propelled her to the biggest first-week sales of her career for 1989(1.287 million). Why fix what ain't broke?

If I had to guess? A potential collaboration, like the rumored Kesha duet, or some kind of 1989special edition with a new tune or two may roll out as an Apple music exclusive just in time for the holidays, but a surprise full album doesn't seem like Swift's style.

A safer bet for a new single might be February, when Swift has a just-announced buzzy AT&T Super Bowl weekend concert as well as a desirable Grammy stage with which to launch a new song -- and a new era.