As Taylor Swift proved in "Folklore" (2020), she is the ultimate wordsmith. Crafting up stories of love triangles, childhood memories and failed relationships, Swift provided the locked-down world with tales to keep it entertained. However, Swift was not done. Unbeknownst to the public until December 2020, "Folklore" had a sister, and her name is "Evermore" (2020).
A bittersweet take on the sorrow and yearning seen months earlier, "Evermore" promises better days than those of "Folklore." Swift dives deeper into herself and pulls from her ever-expansive imagination to bring forth her most creative project yet. It would be unjust to assess the beauty of "Evermore" without acknowledging the influences from her older sister. What "Folklore" started, "evermore" expands upon.
Leading off with “Willow,” Swift's "Evermore" leads us back into the forest, swooning, “Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind.” Just like on her "Folklore" lead single “Cardigan,” Swift employs her literary prowess on “Willow,” pushing back the branches into the dizzying wonder that is "Evermore."
On the second track, “Champagne problems,” an image of a failed proposal takes center stage. "Sometimes you just don’t know the answer/'Til someone’s on their knees and asks you," Swift laments. In true "Folklore" style, "Evermore" carries over the burden of a love lost.
The palette of this album is expansive and vibrant. “Gold rush” evokes a dreamy, idyllic serenity. Its companion on "Folklore," “Mirrorball," was more representative of Swift’s fears as a musician out of the spotlight. “Gold rush” takes that spotlight and shines it on someone with the admiration Swift craved for on "Mirrorball."
“‘Tis the damn season” reflects on a hometown love that finds its way back into her mind. The track fits right in Swift’s discography with her breakup track “Back to December”from "Speak Now" (2010). “Tolerate it” challenges “My tears ricochet” as Swift’s best fifth track between the sister albums. In the former, Swift digs, “I know my love should be celebrated/But you tolerate it.” Swift pleads for an answer: does he love her, or is their love dead?
Teaming up with sister-trio HAIM, Swift confronts infidelity on “No body, no crime." With country influences, Swift returns to her roots with this track. The seventh track, “Happiness,” is bittersweet and full of reminiscence.
“Dorothea” spotlights a distanced love, but Swift reassures, “...if you’re ever tired of being known for who you know/You know, you’ll always know me.” On "Marjorie,” the song’s namesake has passed, but Swift sings, “What died didn’t stay dead/You’re alive, you’re alive in my head.” Marjorie Finlay was Swift’s grandmotherwho died in 2003, further emphasizing Swift’s commitment to personal detail on the album.
Like “Champagne problems,” Swift presents a broken relationship on “Coney island.” Lost and confused, Swift grapples with the decline of the romance. “Ivy” centers on a forbidden love. She gushes, “Oh, I can’t/Stop you putting roots in my dreamland.” A true highlight on the album, “Ivy” adds flair.
In “Cowboy like me,” Swift presents an adventurous love. Her storytelling is flawless, and Swift demonstrates her ability to create scenarios on each track so different from one another. The next track, “Long story short,” tells of a failed love. The “bad times” do not define Swift, so she exclaims, “Long story short, I survived.” Swift, who has experienced her fair share of heartbreak and betrayal, minimizes the struggle and focuses on the positive.
In “Closure,” a former lover attempts to check in on her, but Swift strikes, singing, “I’m fine with my spite/And my tears.”
Swift enlists Bon Iver on the closing, titular track “Evermore," as she did on "Exile" — the fourth track on "Folklore". In contrast to “Exile,” Bon Iver makes use of his falsetto in the same back-and-forth torment with Swift. She acknowledges the trouble love goes through at times, and closes, “I had a feeling so peculiar/This pain wouldn’t be for/Evermore.” A fitting end to the album, there is closure.
"Evermore" picks up right where "Folklore" left off, but adds new layers, stories and discoveries to the mystical woodland Swift is still exploring.
