Once again Taylor Swift has shocked fans with another surprise album of 2020. Earlier this year, fans were blindsided by the release of her first folk album Folklore that revealed the singer’s entrance into another new genre. Her release of Evermore comes as an adjoining sister album to the previous hit of 2020. This is Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album co-written by award-winning artist, Bon Iver, and now sits proudly next to her other musical masterpieces.

Early morning of December 10th, Taylor Swift revealed her newest album Evermore would be releasing at midnight est giving fans little time to prepare. Many did not expect another album to be produced by the award-winning artist so soon after her release of Folklore only months earlier. “Swifties”, as her fans are called, were overwhelmed with emotion and joy in hearing the incredible news of another album.

Taylor Swift has been known to hide little hints and clues for her fans when releasing new albums or projects. Fans were shocked when discovering many clues missed in her merchandise and social media after the release of Evermore. 

The album consists of 15 songs with the physical album containing two bonus songs titled “right where you left me” and “it’s time to go”. With the album’s release, a music video for the first song “willow” was premiered with a live fan Q&A after. During the live Q&A, the artist revealed that three scenes in the music video were “easter eggs” to songs on the Folklore album: cardigan, exile, invisible string, seven, mirrorball, and mad woman. 

Overall, the mood and theme of the album shifts between the artist’s emotions of joy, hope, loss, and fear. This album reflects Taylor’s maturity and growth throughout quarantine and evokes the shared feelings and anxiety of her fans and audience. She understands that everyone is facing some type of challenge during the spread of COVID-19 and created this album to tell her fans that although they are struggling, we will all get through it together.

Notable songs reflecting a more melancholy tone of the recent months are “champagne problems”, “tolerate it”, “happiness”, and “marjorie.” These songs are especially heartfelt to her fans due to their emotional lyrics and wistful melody. Marisa Thaete (12) especially enjoyed the song “champagne problems.” She stated “as an old Taylor fan, [she] appreciated the country sounding undertones” of the song. Taylor has been renowned for her incredible storytelling through her lyrics and this can be clearly seen through these touching songs.

One song, in particular, striking fans is the thrilling track titled “no body, no crime.” The song recounts a friend of the artist being cheated on by her husband. Although she is convinced this event is occurring, she simply “just can’t prove it.” This anxiety by the troubled wife is then contrasted later in the song when the husband’s body is found dead. Now, the police are convinced the wife had committed the crime but they now “just can’t prove it.” This intoxicating song has sparked many rumours by fans and perfectly showcases Taylor Swift’s craft.

For longtime fans, Evermore comes as the next part in an absolutely beautiful and impressive career of the now 31-year-old. She has supported and thanked her fans for years, constantly pushing herself to produce the best music possible for them. Many have grown up with her music and have been shaped by the artist’s music for over a decade. The undenying support of her fans has pushed her to keep doing what she loves. She once stated that she will make music for “as long as [her] fans let her”(Miss Americana – Netflix). 

As is often asked from Taylor Swift: what’s next? Although it is not clear what she is currently working on, many fans have speculated that the folklore-evermore story is far from over. Across the internet, fans are convinced that a third installment to this story is being released by the artist, but this has not been confirmed by Taylor Swift or any other reliable sources. Although fans are hoping to hear more music soon by the remarkable artist, they are grateful and supportive of everything she’s given and produced for their benefit. On behalf of all your fans, thank you, Taylor Swift.