Last summer, Swifties were over the moon when hearing Taylor Swift was releasing a surprise album crafted during quarantine. In a time when everyone around the globe was engulfed by fear, anxiety, and restlessness due to the pandemic, the news that Swift was presenting fans with unforeseen tunes was nothing short of a miracle.
Many Swift supporters were anticipating songs to crank up in the car, jam to on karaoke night, or put on repeat through the day like they do with the majority of her pop-hits. However, after the album dropped, even the most devout Swifties were blown away by the album’s profound depth and striking style.
Though Swift has long been known for her versatile talent and skillful songwriting abilities, saying “Folklore” fits in the same category as her previous albums would be vastly underselling the sophistication and maturity embodied by the tracks on her eighth studio album. As the artist ventures into her thirties, her eighth studio album acts as a stunning symbol of the journey she has taken into womanhood: one filled with finding peace with the past, freedom from the need to please others, and the most authentic, unapologetic version of herself.
How does Swift manage to fit this wide variety of intimate themes into 16 tracks? By transporting listeners to a whimsical world of heartwarming histories, vengeance-filled fables, and nostalgia-inducing narratives. Though the artist’s signature move is using her own experiences to inspire her music, Swift lets her personal life take a bit of backseat on “Folklore”. The artist instead flexes a new creative muscle—infusing songs with riveting fictional stories that pull our heartstrings in a multitude of directions.
From capturing the pain of high school heartbreak in “Betty” to telling the tale of a sharp-witted widow seeking revenge in “The Last Great American Dynasty,” listening to the tracks on “Folklore” feels similar to flipping through the chapters of a soul-stirring storybook. Each song introduces you to an assortment of colors, characters, and conundrums as it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster filled with unexpected turns, triumphs, and tribulations. When nearing the end of the ride, you realize the musical journey has taught you a variety of lessons about the universal ups and downs of life.
Though words play a huge role in bringing Swift’s songs to life, she doesn’t lean solely on lyrics to embark on this melodic adventure. “Folklore” was Swift’s first deep dive into the world of indie music. This meant watching Swift exchange the high-spirited, heavily-produced sound electrified through her previous album, “Lover,” for the simple yet captivating sound of moody guitar strums and piano.
This change in Swift’s music style further proves that her music is growing alongside her, taking on a somber sophistication and refined elegance that reflects her maturing as an artist. Of course, “Folklore” still supplies fans with upbeat rhythms they love in previous hit-songs like “22,” “Love Story,” and “Paper Rings,” however, it’s much more of a rarity. Instead, the album leans more on the moody side, leaving fans feeling they should be listening in a smoke-filled jazz club or while wandering through a rainy forest.
How was Swift able to create such a distinct atmosphere so different from her previous music? With the help of a few incredible artists. Between collaborating with Aaron Dessner, one of Taylor’s “musical heroes” who co-wrote and produced 11 of the 16 songs on “Folklore,” Bon Iver, William Bowery, and Jack Antonoff, a musician who’s played an influential hand in crafting four of Swift’s other successful albums, it is no surprise she was able to tell a multitude of original stories—each accompanied by a unique, cinematic sound.
Amid a life-altering summer that left many devoid of inspiration and hope, Swift delivered an album that gave listeners a much-needed escape from reality. By using time-off to create one of the most dazzling albums of her career, Swift turned a tumultuous time into one filled with fanciful folklore—reminding us to treasure the impact listening to others’ stories can have.
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