Ahead of Taylor Swift’s 31st birthday, she gifted her Swifites with her ninth studio album, evermore.
“We couldn’t stop writing songs,” Swift wrote on an Instagram post announcing the sister album to folklore. “It feels like we were standing on the edge of the folkorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back to to travel further into the forest of the music.”
Kick-starting the album with ‘Willow’ it’s covered in soft vocals being a folk themed masterpiece with a soothing vibe making it an incredible introduction track and lead single to this new era.
‘Champagne Problems’ offers an interesting storytelling coming to see both characters make peace and neither end up as the bad guy, over a calming alternating low-high piano pattern.
‘Gold Rush’ features Swift’s storytelling techniques with free-flowing lyrics, emphasising on heartbreak.
‘’Tis the Damn Season’ finds the character falling into bed with a childhood friend as they come home for the holiday, then being met with things from their past they longed to forget. Although it’s temporary, over a penned percussion in a stereo-like sound, Swift sings, “I’ll go back to L.A./ And the so-called friends will write books about me/ If I ever make it.”
‘Tolerate It’ tells the tale of not being interested in a marriage anymore, with a devastating account of a wife noticing she doesn’t attract her husband anymore. The song plays over an intimate piano-led, Swift sings, “I know my love should be celebrated/ But you tolerate it,” continuing on to sing, “I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life.”
‘No Body, No Crime’ is a double-murder ballad featuring HAIM themed to a country revenge track that is playfully sonically experimental with brilliance. “I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it / No body, no crime / But I ain’t lettin’ up until the day I die,” Swift sings over a bluey stomper production as she’s on a journey to find out a lover’s transgressions.
‘Happiness’ is the longest track on the album with fascinating lyrical styling. Although lyrically and vocally it’s full of mixed emotions, it’s an enchanting track with painful experience present.
‘Dorothea’ has boastful vocal melodies over a dancing piano line with a classic country vibe with a melodic twist, that shines the story of a high-school sweetheart leaving their first love to pursue a career in Hollywood to light.
‘Coney Island’ is a simple track reflecting on young love, featuring The National. Swift sings, “Sorry for not making you my, making you my / Making you my centerfold.”
‘Ivy’ is an interesting listen with the story telling the tale of falling for someone who is married, “I can’t stop putting roots in my dreamland / My house of stone, your ivy grows / And now I’m covered in you,” Swift sings engaging in magnificent metaphors over a fun, upbeat production.
‘Cowboy Like Me’ is a blues-laced tune accompanied with delicate harmonies that truly bring the song to life.
‘Long Story Short’ finds Swift singing, “I fell from the pedestal / Right down the rabbit hole / Long story short, it was a bad time.” She goes on to tell the tale of, “Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived.”
‘Marjorie’ was written for Swift’s late maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay. She was an opera singer who passed on her love of music to her granddaughter. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were singing to me now,” she sings resonating with those who have lost someone, delivering an emotional and heartfelt track that is utterly beautiful, over a lively piano ballad built atop an electronic melody.
‘Closure’ has a distinctive production of Dessner’s signature sound with a more experimental tone over an industrial-folk number.
The title-track is a slow-motion piano ballad, which closes out the album with the last feature with Bon Iver. It has a simple, yet calming piano riff. It will resonate with many with its truthful account of depression and feeling hopeless.
Swift pushes boundaries with her twist on indie with a reinvention that’s simply marvelous. The astonishing indie-folk tunes are a musical comfort offering moments of escapism with incredible vivid storytelling that’s completely soothing to listen to. She has proven herself as an effortlessly talented songwriter and storyteller. Her storytelling is sharp, saturated with literary references with contemporary language and references.
evermore, is a freewheeling record with a wild spirit over the masterful lyricism that has an experimental twist that unbelievably works perfectly. Crafted with elegance, with a stunning mid tempo alternative pop with some of her rawest compositions, it’s a thrilling listen from start to finish being full of haunting tales. The entire collection of tracks feels like a warm hug on a cold morning.
Words by Danielle Holian