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In a Shocking Turn of Events, Taylor Swift is Here to Save 2020 With Her Eighth Studio Album, ‘Folklore’

Sammi Burke

On this day, July 23, 2020, I was woken up at least an hour and a half earlier than usual by a barrage of no less than 17 text messages. Most messages were part of a thread and compressed into long-winded blurs, but even without my glasses on I made out the solitary text that just said “TAYLOR SWIFT”. Sleep who?

But what did it mean? Was Taylor Swift okay?! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that the news everyone was so desperate to share was that in less than 24 hours TS8 would be here. It hasn’t even been a year of the Lover era. We shouldn’t have been getting antsy for something new for several more months, at least, but you read that right, folks, and Folklore drops at midnight. Can you even believe?!?

 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise ?Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; @aarondessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), @boniver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and @jackantonoff (who is basically musical family at this point). Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing @bethgarrabrant. Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much ♥️

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

 

At approximately 7am EST, a new aesthetic took over Taylor’s Instagram. The black and white filter offers a dreary affect to what may otherwise have a fairytale-esque feel to it, if the Red photo album is anything to go by. 

I’ll never complain about the scavenger hunts she’s always sent us on in the past, but the immediate gratification of waking up and just knowing that within the day I’ll have a whole new set of music to obsess over is on a whole other level. There’s no counting holes in fences or dividing numbers and dates, there’s just Folklore!

 

 

Folklore will have 16 tracks on the standard edition, which happens to be the same as the standard edition of Red. At the time, that was a huge album (but of course, Lover went on to have 18 tracks), and I’ll take it with me until I’m proved wrong tonight that that, in combination with the woodsy photo shoot means that, finally, we’re getting Red 2.0. Yes, I like to live in the past – sue me! Fall 2012 was a much better time. 

I’d also like to draw special attention to the fact that the infamous track 5 is called my tears ricochet – is it just me, or does that sound like the name of a song that’s going to overtake All Too Well as most devastating? 

 

 

But that’s not all! We’re also getting a ~socially distanced~ music video for the second track on the album, Cardigan. Written and directed by the queen herself, she also did her own hair, makeup and wardrobe for the sake of safety. I don’t know Taylor Swift, but I have a feeling she’d approve with me signing off by telling you to preorder Folklore and wear your damn masks! 

Sammi is the Lifestyle Editor at HerCampus.com, assisting with content strategy across sections. She's been a member of Her Campus since her Social Media Manager and Senior Editor days at Her Campus at Siena, where she graduated with a degree in Biology of all things. She moonlights as an EMT, and in her free time, she can be found playing post-apocalyptic video games, organizing her unreasonably large lipstick collection, learning "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)" on her guitar, or planning her next trip to Broadway.