The hardest working woman in showbiz, give or take Dolly Parton, is back at it. After releasing one of 2020’s best albums with July’s brittle, understated Folklore, Swift took to social media on Thursday to announce she’s not done yet. Friday, December 10, Swift will release Evermore, her ninth studio album and “Folklore’s sister record.” The album will reunite Swift with her Folklore collaborators Bon Iver and the National, featuring the bands on two new songs. She’s also bringing Haim along for a brand new tune called “no body, no crime,” because this woman has one of the most powerful Rolodexes in the industry.
I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 10, 2020
All *digital downloads* of the album will include an exclusive, digital booklet with 16 brand new photos. You can pre-order evermore now at https://t.co/QYMUTL0IAj
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 10, 2020
As usual, Swift’s announcement is loaded with easter eggs for the Swifties. Swift turns 31 next Wednesday, which is 13 backwards, which is the stated occasion for this new release. There’s also going to be a new music video at midnight on Friday for “Willow,” and the digital download of the album will come stacked with some special goodies like a new booklet, some photos and two bonus tracks. All the details are here.
It continues one of the more interesting and frankly impressive career arcs in history. Swift has successfully evolved from Nashville darling to pop star powerhouse and, now, to something more mature, rarely fumbling and never losing her knack for a winning melody or a sharp turn of phrase. Evermore may or may not live up to the very high bar set by Folklore but it is a sign of something Swift’s fans have known for years: the woman does not take weekends.
