evermore (deluxe version)E

The Artist

Taylor Swift is a singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania who broke through in Nashville country as a teenager before becoming one of pop's defining stars. Her identity rests on detailed, diaristic songwriting and a habit of reinventing her sound from era to era. In 2020 she made her sharpest pivot yet with folklore, a hushed indie folk record. evermore, her ninth studio album, arrived months later as its self-described sister album, pushing that new direction further.

The Album

evermore was written and recorded in the months after folklore, again largely with Aaron Dessner of The National as her main collaborator, while Jack Antonoff worked on "gold rush." Much of the work happened remotely during the pandemic, with files traded between collaborators. Swift surprise-released it in December 2020 with only hours of notice. The deluxe version adds two bonus tracks. Thematically it leans into invented characters, eroding relationships, grief, and the quiet dignity of endings.

Listen For

Two sides of one town. "'tis the damn season" and "dorothea" share the same small-town world. Notice how one song sounds like coming home while the other sounds like being left behind.

Lopsided rhythm. "closure" moves in an uneven, limping meter. Its clanking, glitchy textures rub against the softer instruments around them.

Family voices. "marjorie" honors Swift's late grandmother, an opera singer. Listen near the end for archival recordings of her voice folded into the mix.

Genre detour. "no body, no crime" swaps folk for a country murder ballad. HAIM's harmonies give it a campfire gang-vocal feel.

Tempo break. In the title track "evermore," a slow piano ballad suddenly lurches into a faster, frantic section. Pay attention to how Justin Vernon's voice changes the song's emotional temperature there.