Will Hick ‘27
Staff Writer
For another album review, I have elected to listen to Folklore by the former Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, Taylor Swift. This folk album was released at the height of Covid in the summer of 2020, when fans were generally able to listen to more music than ever before. With sixteen songs, Swift sings about a complex love triangle. Though she is one of the world’s largest artists, I have not listened to the entire album prior to this review. On multiple occasions and from many people, I was told that this is her best album to date. Going into the review, my expectations were high. As the autumn weather continues in New England, it is of utmost importance that you listen to folk music, and there is no better place to start than with Folklore.
The first track is titled “the 1”, which explores the fate of a failed relationship. Swift offers no sense of hope or excitement when singing, which simply bored me and discouraged me from continuing this review. However, she follows this with the much more enjoyable “cardigan” and, through its optimistic lyrics, it gives the reader a purpose to keep listening. In another banger, “the last great american dynasty” shares the story of a widowed woman who chose to recklessly spend her late husband’s earnings. Though I typically enjoy songs that promote more positive messages, Swift won me over with a catchy chorus and interesting story. The next song “exile” consists of Bon Iver, who sounds like he does not want to be there, and whose voice does not harmonize with Swift’s unless it is heavily autotuned. Succeeding this, “my tears ricochet” is about, yet again, the negative aspects of relationships like a breakup. So far, this album does not contain creative ideas, but instead beats a dead horse. The following song continues to talk about this love triangle, yet its change of tone makes it stand out from the rest and even diverges from breakups. Easily being the best song so far, “august” is a much more upbeat song about the good aspects of an unofficial relationship.
The second half of the album begins with “this is me trying”, which has minimal lyrics other than the uneventful chorus. Following that is a beautifully sounding song, “illicit affairs”, although its story expands on cheating on one’s partner. Next comes “invisible string” with an original sound compared to the rest of the album. This is lyrically the most adventurous as it tells the story of reflecting back to the beginning of a relationship and how the two strangers met. Moving onto “mad woman,” this song highlights toxic relationships and the effects it has on each partner. Three quarters through this album, I am honestly so surprised that this album was received so well by Swifties around the world, since it has so little energy and seemingly repetitive lyrics. In a song that has no business being on the album because it is about someone losing their life and not this love triangle, “epiphany” is outrageous as it dedicates most of the song to the intro or outro and contains, once again, repetitive lyrics. Switching into a more fun tone, “betty” calls attention to the realization that there was an ‘illicit affair’ going on in the first place. The homewrecker realizes that she is in the wrong and wants to make amends with Betty, her old friend that she betrayed. But, in the last verse, she realizes that she is “only 17” and she takes back her regret and guilt and instead doubles down on wanting Betty’s boyfriend. At this point, now more than ever, have I wanted to close Spotify and continue on with my life. Backtracking to the common sound of the album, the long-awaited finale, “hoax,” describes the pain of losing someone and the final seconds of the song leave the listener feeling empty and alone.
Personally, I am a huge fan of folk music, from the classics of Simon & Garfunkel to the modernity of Noah Kahan. However, Folklore did not fall under my umbrella of music. If its goal were to lose my attention, then it would have been a success! This album told a story of fictional characters cheating on one another, one that I simply did not need to hear. The lyrical spotlight of the week is “And isn’t it just so pretty to think, all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?” from the song “invisible string.” This lyric does not correspond to the theme of heartbreak, which is why I think it is the best lyric. Overall, this album receives a generous score of 3/10. I will not be revisiting this album anytime soon, other than a select couple songs. For anyone that wants to enjoy the autumn vibe, this album is not for you. Instead, give Stick Season by Noah Kahan or Harvest by Neil Young a listen. As always, if you have any recommendations please feel free to reach out.
Featured image courtesy of Pitchfork
Copy Edited by Charlotte Collins ’26
Web Edited by Zexuan Qu ’28
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