Taylor Swift is back in a big way, announcing her ninth studio album, evermore, on social media only months after the release of folklore.
In July, Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, folklore. The album was written during the first half of quarantine alongside the National’s Aaron Dessner and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff. The album was a feat of storytelling that felt like a hazy-half dream, a stripped down return to her roots, and her best album yet.
Before folklore, Swift’s most recent albums were radio-friendly pop driven records which departed from the more acoustic, country albums she became famous for. While her fan base grew with each album, each massive hit, and collaborators like Kendrick Lamar (we forgive him for his part in “Bad Blood“) and Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco (we don’t forgive him for his part in “ME!”), critics were less impressed by Taylor’s journey into pop music.
However, folklore was released to widespread acclaim and several Grammy nominations. Instead of her usual tell-all, autobiographical songwriting style, Swift told other people’s stories (some true, like the history of Rebekah Harkness, the previous owner of her Rhode Island mansion) but kept her signature personal touch.
Despite her detour into hyper commercial songwriting, which contained several stumbles like “Look What You Made Me Do,” the cringeworthy result of her feud with Kanye West, folklore signals a return to the Taylor that just wants to write about life and love. Gone are the vindictive revenge anthems. In their place, apologies. Gone is the reckless, idealistic romantic. In her place, that same Taylor, just more grown up.
evermore comes in the shadow of this great return, drumming up excitement and anticipation from fans who have the tissues at the ready, prepared to stream the record the second it drops tonight.
“To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs.” Swift tweeted in a thread explaining her decision to write another album so soon. “To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in.”
Described as a “sister album” to folklore and featuring appearances from HAIM and The National and the same slate of collaborators, fans are hoping this album will have a similar cadence.
I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the nex… https://t.co/gqCQK7obaH— Taylor Swift (@Taylor Swift)1607605463.0
The lead single, “willow,” will premiere alongside the record with a self-directed video. It will have to live up to the massive lead single from folklore, “cardigan,” which debuted with the highest opening-day streams of any female artist in 2020 and is nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance this year at the Grammys.
The album is 15 songs long, with a classic Taylor deluxe version that includes two extra tracks. Some fans are wondering if even Taylor could have produced two great albums in a year and if she will be able to sustain her momentum over two long albums.
All we have for now is a tracklist, a title, and an Instagram post.
Taylor Swift “evermore” Tracklist
44