Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, folklore, began a new era, as she usually does with each album. The music is soft and vulnerable, leaving the audience with a unique voice from Swift. Never before has she sounded so strong, yet delicate in her work. Each song tells a different fairy tale, some interconnecting, some reigning alone. There is escapism to her eighth album, which allows the audience to be a part of the story, rather than just spectators. folklore consists of 16 tracks, along with her bonus track, “the lakes.” Usually, Swift focuses on a specific past love to write her songs about, yet she chooses to run with her imagination instead. One of my favorite tracks from folklore, ‘illicit affairs,” explains the struggles of having a secret relationship, and how a once beautiful mystery loses its sparkle in the process. Her voice is always in control on this album, showing her maturity as a singer as well as a person. Swift left the audience wanting more, which moves us to her sister album, evermore.
“In the past, I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different about folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales,” said Swift in an Instagram post announcing the album.
On December 10, Taylor Swift fans discovered that she would be releasing her first sister album. It would be released later that night to compliment folklore’s vulnerable sound. evermore is exactly as Swift describes it, as it is filled with “dream scapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost.” Her ninth studio album is similar in nature to folklore, but reveals a different use of Swift’s voice. Like I said earlier, folklore was focused on a vulnerable, sophisticated transformation of tales, whereas evermore has warmth and passion to each track. There are 15 songs on the album, along with two bonus tracks, “right where you left me” and “it’s time to go.” Her country self is back with a little twang in her songs, but the album is categorized in the alternative genre. The instrumentals thrive in the background as she pushes her voice to new limits. Unlike previous albums, Swift’s evermore has fervor, but it is not an anger streak, just passion as she reveals her poetic masterpiece.
Now, there are theories of a third album named woodvale. Taylor Swift fans hope for a third sister around the corner, but Taylor has not denied or confirmed these claims. Overall, I would rate her folk era a 10/10. It is some of her best work created out of a beautiful imagination.