TAYLOR SWIFT - FOLKLORE
Chloe shares her thoughts on the latest Taylor Swift release, Folklore, and lets you know whether she thinks you should listen or not.
I refuse to believe there is anyone out there who doesn’t have a guilty affliction for at least one Taylor Swift song, whether it be ‘Picture To Burn’ from her self-titled debut, or ‘ME!’, an over-the-top cheesy collaboration with Brendon Urie that almost seemed like a fever dream when it was first released.
Personally, I feel like I’ve grown up Taylor - as do most girls in their early twenties, probably - hearing her voice is almost comforting to me, and there’s possibly nothing more comforting than her new release ‘folklore’.
The midnight drop came as somewhat a surprise (it was almost as if she knew we’d need something to make up for One Direction’s ‘10th Anniversary’ celebrations being a few 4K video re-releases), but a very welcome one at that.
Swift’s 8th album, folklore does sound almost exactly how you’d expect an album with that title to sound; soft, haunting, and absolutely beautiful. It’s somehow simultaneously brand new, without straying too far from her signature sound. If you want the likes of her previous revenge-driven dance tracks and romantic poppy anthems, maybe it’s not the album for you – but if you want Swift’s exceptional story-telling and deep cuts, then Folklore doesn’t fall short at all.
Lead single ‘cardigan’ sentimentally describes a break-up, and despite the context of the song itself – she almost sings with fondness, and the lyrics are laced with nostalgia. ‘betty’ is almost reminiscent of Swift’s earlier country material, with the unexpected addition of a harmonica and blunt, no-beating-around-the bush storytelling featuring lines such as ‘would you tell me to go fuck myself?’.
Taylor has always enjoyed telling over people’s stories, the way she does in ‘the last american dynasty’, but never as perfectly as she tells her own in ‘mad woman’ - which seems to hint at the constant villainization of her by the media.
If you’re expected the upbeat, amorous tracks that were consistent throughout her last release Lover, then you’re emotions are going to feel nothing but deceived, folklore is sad, it’s filled with heartache and self-doubt, but it also feels like a comforting hug that tells you ‘it’s okay’ – which I think we all need right now.
Chloe Louise Maxwell
★★★★☆