Folklore: Woodland Faerie Queen of the Pop Music Scene

Without any warning, Taylor Swift dropped her newest album just a couple of days ago and without absolutely any publicity at all, it has already captured the attention of fans and critics everywhere. Such is the power of one of the most influential pop stars of the 21st century. Like many of us in isolation, it seems she has taken the opportunity to stretch her creative muscles, and thus, 'folklore' was born. Not only did no one expect a new album, as she mentions in an Instagram post, neither did she, which would explain the lack of fanfare preceding her newest offering. As we have experienced in these uncertain times, and with many of us being significantly more free of social engagements and commitments outside the home and if you’re like me, you will have been doing a lot of life re-evaluating and self-introspection, and it is apparent that her creative mind has been running wild. Except this time, it’s not all about her.

"It started with imagery. Visuals that popped into my mind and piqued my curiosity."

- Taylor Swift to fans on 'folklore'

As she writes in an Instagram post introducing 'folklore', she says that for her, “picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory”, and true to her word, this album feels like a collection of short stories, all encapsulated in their own universes. It’s a more fictitious take on her famously personal songs that explore the lighthearted adventures and tragic tales of woe she’s carefully spun and woven together, and it’s hard to distinguish which ones are autobiographical and which are works of fiction. And maybe we’re not meant to. Whether it’s detailing the painful end of a relationship, the pull of destiny that you feel towards someone you're meant for, or even her interpretation of the nonconforming lifestyle of a 1950s patron of the arts, she does in this album what she does best, and that is crafting songs with powerful, immersive imagery, and she pulls it off with the effortless dexterity of a seasoned songwriter.

On first listen, 'folklore' is morose and reflective, with a few bright spots in between, with a couple of songs echoing nostalgically of her country roots á la 'Fearless' and 'Speak Now', such as 'betty' and 'invisible string'. It is a surprisingly slow album overall and is perfect for fans who have never been a fan of her more upbeat, commercial songs. Some songs – and even the monochrome album art – are reminiscent of Bon Iver’s 2007 album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’, who coincidentally (or not?) is a featured singer on the 4th track, 'exile'. The visual stylings echo this sentiment as well, as the promotional pictures of 'folklore' are all in black and white film grain, with the cover art depicting the songstress standing, almost imperceptibly small, compared to the towering trees of a wintery forest, a stark contrast to her previous album, cotton candy pink 'Lover'.

The songs in 'folklore' touch on similar themes to her past albums, like the heartbreak at the end of a relationship (you were my town/now I’m in exile/seeing you out), with 'exile' (ft. Bon Iver), a song that sounds akin to 'The Last Time' (ft. Gary Lightbody), the 10th track on her fourth album, 'Red'. Another song that evokes another one of her past songs is 'the last great american dynasty', which illustrates the offbeat lifestyle of Rebekah Harkness. This song brings to mind 'The Lucky One', also from 'Red', about a glamorous actress whose celebrity has faded with time. Additionally, 'the last great american dynasty' has yet another link to Swift, as Rebekah Harkness was the past owner of one of Swift’s current houses, and she draws parallels between herself and Rebekah in the lyrics of the song. However, something she hasn’t touched on before is the struggle amidst the violence of war and suffering. In ‘epiphany’, a sobering tribute to essential workers on the frontline of the war against COVID-19, she likens the experience of her grandfather in The Battle of Guadacanal in 1942 to that of those fighting for all of our lives right now (only twenty minutes to sleep/but you dream of some epiphany).

Some personal favorites of mine on 'folklore' are 'invisible string' and 'this is me trying'. The former is laidback and whimsical, with folksy guitar riffs, in which she sings about her current relationship with her boyfriend of over three years, English actor Joe Alwyn. She ruminates on how time eventually healed her wounds from past relationships (time, curious time/cutting me open then healing me fine) and brought her to the one she was destined to be (all along there was some invisible string/tying you to me). In 'this is me trying', a somber, slow showcase of her deft lyrical ability, as she describes feeling low from trying to live up to her past potential (I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere/fell behind all of my classmates and ended up here) and being regretful of her mistakes (and my words shoot to kill when I’m mad/I have a lot of regrets about that).

"I've told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it's up to you to pass them down."

- Taylor Swift to fans on 'folklore'

Taylor Swift’s music has always been something so personal and private to her, yet the emotions her songs evoke resonate with so many and continue to linger long after they end, and she ultimately manages to connect with each and every one of her fans through universal themes and intimate imagery, a real trademark of her music. 'folklore' listens like reverent fables recounted around a bonfire, ethereal melodies sung by Lilith herself, and with her haunting prose and enchanting imagery, she keeps her fans dancing, enraptured in their own personal fairy rings.