One of the positive aspects of the pandemic is that artists who would otherwise have been too busy for new songs are creating new music.
This also applies to Taylor Swift, who had to cancel all concerts for 2020 and surprisingly released a new album, “Folklore”, on Friday, one year after “Lover”. “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t happen.
But there is something I didn’t plan that actually happened, ”Swift announced her eighth album just a few hours before it was released. The record gathers 16 quiet pieces that tell nostalgic stories about old childhood loves and childhood friends.
The album is peppered with catchy lines, its framework is formed by piano chords, guitars bubbling in the background and soft beats. The star wrote some songs with songwriter Aaron Dessner, whose twin brothers Bryce Dessner and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) also participated. Overall, “Folklore” is a classic Swift album.
It is surprising, however, that the politically committed singer completely dispenses with political undertones and references to the current racism debate. Only in “Epiphany” are references to the present: In the hospital, a patient’s hand is held “through plastic”. Ultimately, “folklore” is a quarantined singer’s diary.
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