SinceTaylor Swiftput out her folk albumsfolkloreandevermorein 2020, there have been fights about which one is better.Both albums were surprises, with Swift announcing their midnight releases less than 24 hours before. However, despite their similarities, each album stands on its own.
Some resonate more with the topics discussed onfolklore,while others find the heaviness ofevermoresongs like “marjorie"to be more comforting. However, whileeach album is an astounding body of work,folklore, the first of Swift’s cottagecore era, will always be superior.
Folklore Redefined Swift’s Career
Swift Revisited Her Singer-Songwriter Roots
When Taylor Swift released1989in 2015, she cemented herself as a bona fide pop star. Gone were the days of her carrying around an acoustic guitar, and in the place of acoustic melodies were synth beats and bass drums. Her next two albums only furthered her legacy in pop music. However, withfolklore,Swift returned to her singer-songwriter roots.
Some had even questioned if she still had it in her to craft the kind of songs she did in her earlier career, like"All Too Well.” Swift’s success withfolkloreproved she could both be a pop star and could still sit down at the piano or with her guitar and write from the heart. In a world inclined to putting people in boxes,folkloreproved Swift is not easily contained. The album reminded fans of how lyrically talented Swift is and brought her from pop star to music industry legend.
Folklore Is More Sonically Cohesive
Swift’s First Pandemic Album Flows Better
Whileevermorehas a variety of sounds, from the piano-heavy “champagne problems” to the upbeat “long story short,“folklore’s tracks are more cohesive.The songs have a mostly acoustic sound that fits the folk genreand Swift’s cottagecore aesthetic. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, while some of the songs onevermorefeel a little out of place. As Swift was writing a lot in such a rough time period, it makes sense that some songs would feel all over the place.
Each song flows seamlessly into the next, while some of the songs on evermore feel a little out of place.
However, withfolklore, she was able to better curate her tracklist. Whether she was singing about a previous love, an ultimate betrayal, or the story of Rebekah Harkness, each song complements the other.Swift was able to create an album about an array of different topicswhile making them all feel like they belonged on the album.
Folklore Introduced The Love Triangle
The Love Triangle Was One Of The Best Parts Of Folklore
One of the most exciting parts offolklorewas the love trianglethat played out in “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” Swift teased the love triangle during the “cardigan” music video premiere, andfans quickly put together which songs were a part of it.Swift mentions cobblestones and cardigans in both “cardigan” and “betty.” Then, in “august” and “betty,” she mentions a car pulling up to pick up James. Each song told the story from a different character’s perspective, and fans have been obsessed with it ever since.
I Saw Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour At The Beginning & At The End: Here Are The Biggest Differences I Noticed
I attended two different shows at The Eras Tour, one at the beginning and one at the end, and these two shows were quite different from one another.
Fans have also tried figuring out if Swift was inspired by a specific movie, TV show, or book, as she admitted much offolklore’s inspiration came from the media she consumedin lockdown. Taylor Swift also confirmed duringFolklore: The Longpond Sessionsthat she believes Betty took James back and the girl in “august” was never a villain, just someone who wanted to be loved. The love triangle is one of the best examples of Swift’s incredible storytelling skills.
Folklore Is More Polished
Evermore Was A Little Messier
While Swift was writingfolklorein lockdown, it feels as though she really took the time to polish the album. While she wrote and released the album pretty quickly, she also had a lot of free time to perfect everything.It feels like a neatly crafted body of workwhere any songs that didn’t flow were left on the cutting room floor. On the other hand,evermorefeels like Swift was a little less careful. The songs feel messier, and it was like Swift left all her rules behind and put whatever she was feeling on the album.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and is actually quite experimental. It also made a lot of sense for the winter 2020 time period when the world had opened up, but everyone was still reeling from the events of the year. However, there’s something extra impressive about the wayall the songs onfolklorefell into place.It felt like an escape from the craziness of the world into a storybook of intricate folktales.
Evermore Feels Like A Bonus Album
Some Evermore Songs Feel Like Vault Tracks
Whileevermorehas some fan-favorite tracks like “champagne problems” and “tolerate it,” it feels a little like a bonus album. Similar to the way Swift has been releasingvault tracks for her Taylor’s Version rerecordings,evermorefelt like the tracks that didn’t make it ontofolklore. This wasn’t the case, as Swift confirmed after releasingfolklore, she couldn’t stop writing, so she ended up writing another album.The sister album also has some aspects that make it unique, but after putting out 17 tracks onfolklore, it was hard not to compare the two.
folkloreinitially had 16 tracks before Swift released “the lakes” as a bonus song.
The first album was so critically acclaimed and beloved that it madeevermorefeel less significant, like an afterthought. Even on the second leg of the Eras Tour,Swift put the two albums into one erato make space forThe Tortured Poets Departmentset, furthering the feeling thatevermorewas just the second half offolklore.
Folklore Was The Perfect Pandemic Album
Folklore Was Released Right On Time
When the COVID-19 lockdown began in March 2020, it became clear pretty early on that Taylor Swift would have to postpone her Lover Fest tour. Swift quickly ended theLoverera altogether when she releasedfolklorein July 2020. At the time, the world felt scary and uncertain, sothe upbeat, bubbly nature ofLoverwas pretty irrelevant.
Instead,folklorewas full of uncertainty, doubt, and confusion. It was the perfect pandemic album, and it showed up at the perfect time. Summer is typically the best time to put out upbeat pop songs, but summer 2020 was the complete opposite.
It was the perfect pandemic album, and it showed up at the perfect time.
No one was going out to the clubs, and while the world was opening up, people were still wary of going in public at all. People were more likely to have a laid-back, isolated summer, andfolklorewas the perfect laid-back album. Unfortunately,evermoredidn’t have the same effect as it came at the end of the year.By then, most people were back at work and were prepping for a return to normal life in 2021. Swift’sfolkloreera was truly unbeatable and could never be recreated.
While Swift was able to create two incredible albums in 2020 that showcased her songwriting skills,folkloreis unquestionably the better album. It was the one tojumpstart a new era in her careerand will always be one of the most memorable albumsTaylor Swifthas ever put out.
