pulp reviews: taylor swift’s new album folklore
Irene Higgins and Nicolette Petra
Last Friday, Taylor Swift took to Twitter and Instagram to announce her eighth studio album, folklore, before casually dropping it mere hours later, leaving her listeners equal parts shook and hyped. Connected via video call, Irene and Nicolette held their own Listening Party as the album dropped. After an intense two hours of head-bobbing, brow-knitted confusion, and contemplative discussion, the two spent the following rainy weekend bingeing the album and sorting through their thoughts, feelings, and questions before penning their reactions here, because, let’s face it, one does not simply not unpack a TSwizzle album.
Listening For the First Time...
How did you feel when you heard Taylor was dropping an album?
I: I honestly felt ambivalent about most of the songs. There aren’t many songs - let alone full albums - that make me feel so happy and at home whilst simultaneously making me feel such deep sorrow. Taylor told stories in the album that I think we can all see ourselves in - and that is both haunting and magical.
N: If there’s one thing Swifties are good at, it’s hyping their queen. I didn’t actually see Taylor’s posts about the album until I saw a heap of Instagram stories from my friends going wild about the release. I was pretty pumped but it was the album cover that really had me feeling curious. It gave me moody, witchy vibes and reminded me of Out of the Woods, all of which raised plenty of questions - why is she in the woods? Is she lost, not wanting to be found, looking for something, or feeling isolated? What did it all mean? Basically, Taylor’s announcement had me screaming for answers from the get go. Luckily, I only had to wait a few hours for answers...or so I thought.
What was your favourite song?
I: My favourite song is definitely cardigan at the moment. As one of the 3 songs from Taylor’s love triangle collection (cardigan, august and betty) the lyrical connections between each song were not lost on us.
N: Upon first listen, mine was the 1. It’s the first track on the album and the regret, what-if, if-only thread that ran through it grabbed me instantly in a haunting sort of way I couldn’t shake.
What struck you the most about the album?
I: I read somewhere in a comments section that folklore feels like Taylor wrote a book of stories and let every character sing. I think that’s what stands out to me about this album; it feels so real. Tying in themes like COVID-19 in epiphany, love, womanhood and the transition into adulthood made this album feel relatable and emotionally captivating in a way that Taylor’s previous albums did not. I particularly loved the lyric in this is me trying ‘I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere.’ It made me think of all of those moments we have when we realise that our success has resulted in us repeating ourselves, and going in circles.
N: Oh, I loved that line too! I think that was one of the things that struck me most actually - the lyrics. They were poetic, political and picturesque, with Taylor’s signature cumulative listing of imagery peeping through in tracks like cardigan (‘vintage tee, brand new phone/high heels on cobblestones’). Most surprisingly, the lyrics were highly polysemic. Where Taylor’s music is usually easy to consume and comprehend, these latest tracks were so complex that sometimes I wasn’t entirely sure what she was referring to. The answers I was hoping for weren’t so easily decipherable. I quickly realised that despite the mellow, relaxing, and often sombre sound of folklore, I would need more than one listen to understand the full weight of what Taylor was writing about.
What was your overall takeaway/feeling about the album after the first listen?
I: After our first listening session, I was honestly feeling emotionally exhausted! I was sad, I was happy, I was inspired. I had so many questions!! The melancholy overtones of the album stayed with me for the rest of the evening.
N: I felt similarly - it was an emotional whirlwind - but I also felt dissatisfied to some extent. I didn’t come out of my first listen with the answers I’d been looking for. Rather, I had more questions and more uncertainty. I even remember thinking, ‘Why would the penultimate track be called peace? Shouldn’t the album end with peace rather than a hoax?’ I had the feeling there was a loose end that still needed tying. I need all the Genius Lyrics videos, please!
I: Taylor’s bonus track, the lakes which is only available on her physical CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes might be the key to making sense of the album. We’ll have to wait to get our hands on our pre-ordered copies to listen to this elusive track.
After Listening Over the Weekend...
What did you discover between the first listen and the following days?
I: In the following days, I’ve started paying more attention to the actual lyrics and instruments used in this album. I think Taylor’s use of percussion and piano are incredibly unique and mesmerising. In comparison to her old work, I was also finding it harder to wrap my head around exactly what each song is about. Unlike other albums of 2020, I feel like this one is written in such a way that it isn’t meant to be precise. For instance, Nicolette, myself and another friend of ours had a very lengthy debate about the meaning of the line ‘I think I’ve seen this film before’ in exile feat. Bon Iver. Listening to that song, I was instantly transported back to The Last Time from Taylor’s past album, Red. In fact, in the Youtube comments leading up to the album’s release, Taylor used the exact words from her previous Red song to describe her new album: Sad, Beautiful, Tragic.
‘I think I’ve seen this film before’ to me was a reference to the ‘second, third and hundredth chances’ that they had given each other. Nicolette saw this as them knowing from the beginning that things would not work, as though it were predestined but unacknowledged. However, another friend of ours offered my favourite interpretation - that the characters had seen this in so many movies, and heard these stories from so many of their friends, and therefore knew that the relationship had come to a close.
I still have so many questions though, like why is nothing capitalised!?!? I am very curious about this decision! I would also honestly read an article or blurb from Taylor about each of the 16 (17 including the lakes!) songs on her album.
N: After a weekend of listening, you’d think I’d have settled on what the meaning or message of every song is, but honestly, they’ve only become more complex. I’ve found reading other people’s interpretations fascinating. One Instagram user suggested that Taylor being small on the cover compared to her usual closeup, was symbolic of this album being an observational tribute to her surroundings rather than being strictly about her own life. While this makes sense with tracks like epiphany being concerned with the medical workers during COVID-19, Halsey described folklore as ‘confessional’ in one of her Instagram stories which would indicate it’s a deeply personal work. I think for now, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no one true meaning to be drawn from the album. It’s what the listener makes of it.
I also found there was significantly more mature subject matter and darkness embedded in this album than what we’re used to seeing from Taylor. There’s mention of blood in many of the tracks; death is a constant theme; she doesn’t shy away from cursing; and alcohol and drugs are referenced often (for example, ‘slipped away like a bottle’ in august). It’s not so much that there hasn’t been a growth or maturity with each of Taylor’s previous releases; it’s that with each new album she puts distance between her past selves and her current self so her audience has to become reacquainted with her again and folklore has been her most transformative self yet.
Finally, the uncertainty I felt after the first listen became strangely fitting. I took solace in the idea that Taylor had produced this body of work during a pandemic, social isolation, global cultural movements, rising political tensions, and what is generally a time of great uncertainty. With this in mind, the album felt more like a mirror - or perhaps a ‘mirrorball’ - of all the currently shifting parts of our society.
Did your favourite song change?
I: I think I now have three favourites! cardigan is still up there for me, but it has been joined by the 1 and exile feat. Bon Iver.
N: exile has become my favourite by a long shot. I can’t help but hit repeat for the lyrics, the story behind the song, and the conversational collab. But I’ve also really latched onto the more lighthearted tunes in betty and the last great american dynasty. With that said, this is me trying gets me every time.
Why do you think it’s called folklore? What do you think the core message is?
I: Folklore by definition are the stories of many people, passed down from person to person. I think this album is designed to recreate these stories that are inherently familiar. They are shared stories that we can all recall hearing. I don’t know if there is an overarching message beyond sharing of these stories, but my takeaway from this album is this: in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we as a community have been met with a collective experience that has been painful, stressful and frightening for everyone in different ways. Despite the fact that everyone’s story has been different, we all share and empathise with one another’s pain, joy and perseverance. I think this album captures that beautifully, and in these unprecedented times, that is something that we should all value.
N: In this album, Swift paints a detailed, panoramic image of politics, gender, retro history, her career, and current events with a candid brush we haven’t seen her use before. While her painting might not be as boppy and fun as we are used to, it’s reflective of the time it was created. In many ways, this album is a metaphorical telescope. From song to song, and often even within the songs themselves, Swift refocuses the lens, drawing attention to both the macro and micro, looking at love (a stereotypical motif in Taylor’s discography), then becoming introspective, then looking outwards at the world, before refocusing all over again. This might make it difficult for the audience to keep up, but it’s an enigma that’s not meant to be figured out on the first listen. It’s meant to be given time and handled delicately, as 2020 has taught us many things have to be.
I: There are so many thoughts, feelings and perspectives in this kaleidoscopic album of emotional imagery. I am looking forward to listening to folklore many more times and can’t wait to hear what Tay Tay has to say say (couldn’t help it, sorry) about the stories she and her fantastic collaborators have curated in this musical novel.