Back in July, Taylor Swift shocked fans worldwide when she dropped her eighth studio album ‘folklore’ unannounced. Now, after what feels like a century has passed, Swift has shocked everyone once more by surprising us with the sister to her July hit, ‘evermore.’
In 2017, Taylor Swift released her album ‘reputation,’ kissing goodbye to the old Taylor and welcoming in a new, mature pop star we all know and love. Since ‘reputation,’ Swift has released the award-winning, softer-sounding 2019 album ‘Lover’ and then shocking us all with the completely new sounds of ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore.’
Unlike her previous bubbly pop sound, Taylor’s 2020 albums have illustrated a level of growth and maturity. Not only of herself but of the rest of us, after tackling this excruciatingly long year. The opening track, ‘willow,’ sets the scene of the whole album, with a strong feeling of a dark and cold winter ahead. The deep sounds of the guitar mirror the images of bare trees surrounding a small countryside village in December. The harmonies dance in between the melodies of the guitar like Christmas lights glowing through the snow on a cold night.
‘Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneaking in / As if you were a mythical thing’
The album includes collaborations with some artists like Bon Iver and The National. The first collaboration we run into is ‘no body, no crime,’ featuring the iconic sister trio HAIM. This is one of the initial songs on the album where we see Taylor drawn back to her country roots. The guitar hook captures your attention, littered with soft harmonica. The dark vocals entice us into a story we know is going to be incredibly juicy. Supported by the vocals from HAIM, makes this track an extraordinarily wicked tale of girls sticking together to survive, though it is not as in your face as ‘Bad Blood‘ back in 2015.
‘She says that ain’t my merlot on his mouth / That ain’t my jewellery on our joint account / No, there ain’t no doubt / I think I’m gonna call him out’
Taylor Swift has a talent for creating stories out of songs, and that really shows when we get to the next collaboration. ‘coney island’ featuring The National captures the magical winter cold. It somehow feels like you need to cuddle a little further into your blanket, truly harnessing the feeling of a winter romance.
The title track ‘evermore’ features Bon Iver, a familiar name from ‘folklore.’ Breaching the barrier between alternative and pop, this final track is expertly crafted, and the vocals from Bon Iver helps to accentuate the complexity of the lyrics.
The dark and stormy feel to this album is incorporated into every song on the album. Swift’s discography shows clear country sounds dotted throughout her releases, with ‘cowboy like me’ being a more modern pop ballad. Her sound has grown and matured throughout the ages, but these influences are still prevalent.
This year’s releases from Taylor Swift have certainly made this year more tolerable. ‘evermore’ is showing us the light at the end of the tunnel that we are currently venturing through in 2020. Her new sound has proven that Swift is not here to play games, and she truly does mean business. Her matured sound has us hanging on the edge of our seats, as she has certainly raised the bar, yet again.
