Taylor Swift Shocks Fans With New Album, folklore, Here’s the Tracklist and What We Can Expect
When Swifties went to bed last night they couldn’t have predicted that Taylor Swift would be announcing (and releasing) her eighth studio album, folklore, in just a few short hours. Swift is famed for long build-ups and planting easter eggs years in advance in order to promote her new music. However, different times call for different tactics and folklore is nearly here. But what can we expect from Swift’s newest album?
Taylor Swift announces her new album, folklore, on Instagram and Twitter
Today, July 23, 2020, Swift took to social media pages to announce folklore. Coming less than a year after her seventh studio album, Lover, folklore is a compilation of songs that Swift has written and recorded amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “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,” Swift began in her announcement.
folklore tracklist
folklore will boast 16 new songs for the standard edition and one bonus track for the 8 different deluxe editions that Swift is releasing. Unlike Lover, folklore does not feature a title track. The tracklist for the latest album is as follows. “the 1”, “cardigan”, “the last great american dynasty”, “exile (featuring Bon Iver)”, “my tears ricochet”, “mirrorball”, “seven”, “august”, “this is me trying”, “illicit affairs”, “invisible string”, “mad woman”, “epiphany”, “betty”, “peace”, and “hoax”. The bonus track for folklore is titled “the lakes”.
But what can fans expect from folklore sound wise? While Swift has been tight-lipped about the overall sound of the album, we can make guesses by taking cues from the artwork she released as well as the name of her album. Folklore is defined as “the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth” so we imagine that Swift will be singing about general truths of her world and collective experiences.
What sound will the new songs boast?
Furthermore, her artwork and the fact that she chose to collaborate with Bon Iver leads us to believe that folklore will have a more quiet, soft, and isolated vibe than her previous seven albums. We imagine it being country and folk-inspired music and feature songs that sound like Swift’s Hunger Games hit “Safe & Sound.”
New music and new merch
But Swift had more than one surprise in store for her loyal fans. She is also choosing to release a music video for her song “cardigan.” No word yet on whether this will be an official single, but the song must have unique meaning to the “Last Kiss” artist if she chose to release a music video right out of the gate. Furthermore, Swift has chosen to offer cardigan merchandise where fans are able to download the folklore album and receive an item of clothing. “cardigan” is the second music video that Swift has directed, the first being “The Man.”
Swift wrote and directed her latest music video, cardigan
“The music video for “cardigan” will premiere tonight, which I wrote/directed. A million thank you’s to my brilliant, bad ass video team – cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, executive producer Rebecca Skinner, AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osbourne, editor Chancler Haynes, special effects wizards David Lebensfeld & Grant Miller, and set designer Ethan Tobman. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling, 😂” Swift shared. We’re sure that fans are chomping at the bit to hear “cardigan” and the rest of folklore. Fortunately for them, the wait is a short one. The new album releases tonight at midnight EST.
