Review: ‘Folklore’ is the album Taylor Swift created from her soul, released it mid night in Surprise Drop

Folklore by taylor Swift : The 16-song album helped her “pour all of my whims, dreams, fears and musings” into the music, Swift said.

In a perfect world, Taylor Swift would be out on the road doing a stadium tour this summer. As we all know, it’s not a perfect world.

But sometimes when things don’t go as planned, it’s not necessarily a disaster. And so it was that the time off from the road spurred Taylor Swift’s muse into overdrive, resulting in her eighth album, folklore, which will be released at midnight.

Swift made the announcement on Instagram earlier today, teasing with jigsaw pieces of her album artwork before posting a black and white photo which showed her walking through a forest.

Review : Folklore taylor Swift

Have you ever listened to “All Too Well” and said, “Great, now can I have 16 more of these?” 

That’s essentially what Taylor Swift has done on “Folklore,” her most introspective and emotionally raw album yet. The 10-time Grammy winner, who is known for her meticulously orchestrated album rollouts, broke from tradition and surprise-announced “Folklore” on Thursday, less than 24 hours before its Friday release. 

After embracing her pop side on her past three albums, including last year’s “Lover,” the former country star is switching up her sound once again. This time, she’s taking a page from some of her songwriting heroes including Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King. While plenty of pop luminaries such as Justin Timberlake (“Man of the Woods”) and Lady Gaga (“Joanne”) have taken detours into stripped-down folk/soft rock, none have made the transition as seamlessly as Swift, who reminds us once again that she’s the most gifted songwriter in music today.

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“Folklore” features a song, “Exile,” with Bon Iver, and writing credits from The National’s Aaron Dessner and Swift’s frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff. Every track on the decidedly un-radio-friendly album is a treasure trove of evocative metaphors and diary-like lyrics, managing to capture familiar feelings in ways you didn’t know were possible.

That should come as no surprise to any fan of Swift, who delivered the poetic double punch of “Cornelia Street” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts” just last year. But the gentleness and unhurried pace of “Folklore” give her words more room to breathe, allowing them to hit that much harder. 

“I persist and resist the temptation to ask you / if one thing had been different / would everything be different?” she wonders on “The 1,” the breezy but deceptively sad opening track. “In my defense I have none / for digging up the grave another time / but it would’ve been fun / if you would’ve been the one.” 

The album brims with vivid imagery, as Swift likens herself to a favorite sweater on “Cardigan” and a “Mirrorball” that will “show you every version of yourself tonight.” Album standout “Invisible String” is perhaps the prettiest love song in Swift’s entire catalog, but is not without her biting wit: “Cold was the steel of my ax to grind for the boys who broke my heart / now I send their babies presents.”

“Folklore” is undoubtedly Swift’s most melancholy album. (Try not to cry listening to “August,” in which she wistfully recounts a summer love gone south in achingly specific detail.) But the 30-year-old has also never sounded more confident or mature. Continuing to move away from her previously PG lyrics, she’s included explicit language. In the album’s opening line, she announces “I’m doing good / I’m on some new s—” and drops multiple F-bombs in later songs “Betty” and “Mad Woman” (an apparent lyrical first for Swift). 

Given Swift’s public battle with Scooter Braun and former label Big Machine Records over ownership of her music, it’s impossible not to read the latter as a searing rebuke of the men – and women – who have tried to control or criticize her. “No one likes a mad woman / you made her like that,” she sings over soft piano and strings. “Taking my time / ’cause you took everything from me / watching you climb / over people like me.” 

After years of being the media’s punching bag, it’s incredibly moving to hear Swift take back her power on “Folklore,” her second album on Republic Records and second that she has completely owned as well. Eight albums and 14 years into her career, it’s also thrilling to watch Swift continue to grow and evolve, showing that she can still surprise us in more ways than one.

Folklore : Taylor Swift the invention of new you

“Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; @aarondessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), @boniver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and @jackantonoff (who is basically musical family at this point).

“Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing @bethgarrabrant.

“Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the “perfect” time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.

“That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much.’

‘Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing @bethgarrabrant.

‘Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the “perfect” time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.

‘That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much.’

Swift also posted a screen grab from the music video of her song Cardigan, which she says will also premiere at midnight to coincide with the album release. She was the writer/director on it.

 Swift’s last album release, Lover, arrived in 2019.