2020 has been a year of surprises and well, not all have been bad. After releasing her 8th studio album ‘Folklore’ in July, the singer-songwriter once again treated her fans with a surprise album drop. Titled Evermore, it’s a sister album of Swift’s eighth and clearly carries the flavour of gothic folktales, while hitting new avenues.
Making the announcement, Taylor Swift had said "to put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. 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.” And as you peel the album one song at a time you realise what she meant with the post.
The first song of the album ‘Willow’ has been released along with a music video, giving listeners a clear idea that Evermore is as magical and mystical as ‘Folklore’, taking the golden ‘pixie-dust’ aura and exploring it further. There are a lot of similarities between the two albums, yet ‘Evermore’ feels more free and experimental. Carrying forward the legacy of building a story with her album, ‘Evermore’ has two of them. One of a woman trying to make it big in Hollywood while leaving her love and small town behind only to return in the festive season. The songs ‘Dorothea’ and ‘tis the damn season’ build that story of aspiration, half-done love and coming back only to leave once again.
Another story is of an illicit affair and how it’s engulfing a woman who is on a lookout for a celebratory love but couldn’t find it in her husband, but someone else. The songs ‘tolerate it’ and ‘ivy’ are beautifully written song on infidelity, ignorance and picturing a love that’s all-consuming.
Of Course, there are trademark Taylor songs referring to her own life and somewhat her feud with Scooter Braun, in the pretext of the universal language of heartbreak. Songs ‘long story short’ and ‘closure’ are the tracks that one can make out are personal to the singer. However, it’s ‘gold rush’ and ‘champagne problems’ that will send the Swift Universe into a frenzy. The references are real but is the story too? There’s a lot of tea out there.
Then we have the title track ‘Evermore’ and ‘Happiness’ which send you in a lyrical, musical trance you don’t want to come back from. The evolution of Taylor, into alternative music, is tremendous and ‘Evermore’ only cements that fact. Without abandoning her touch of relatability, Taylor has morphed herself into this versatile singing storyteller which is a treat to listen to.
The standout track in the album is her collaboration with Haim's sister. The country-story song ‘no body, no crime’ is a peppy track which is going to be in your head with its tune and its American Crime Story vibe.
The acoustic-minimalistic palette of Taylor's previous album is taken to another height with a mix of piano, beats and even carolling vibes considering the album is Swift’s birthday treat AND a Christmas treat to her fans. Electronics and furtive pizzicato strings in ‘Marjorie’, Taylor’s fond tribute to her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, the musical details on the entire album is to hear for.
While it’s always a surprise with Swift, as to what could be her next move, from ‘Reputation’ to ‘Evermore’, her transition as an artist has been one to chronicle. While her earlier albums were all about baring her soul, she has learnt the art of narrative-writing with Folklore and given us a sequel with ‘Evermore’. A little distant from her real-life, yet all the more alluring. The folklorian woods have captured the heart of the singer and ‘Evermore’ brings that affection, dedication and beauty to the listeners. Another golden string in Taylor’s multi-faceted guitar, it seems.
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