Taylor Swift’s latest album, Folklore, came out of nowhere, as she released it just hours after it was announced. Now, she is doing the same with her next album, and it’s arriving a lot sooner than anybody expected: Evermore, which Swift describes as “Folklore’s sister record,” will be released in a matter of hours, on Friday, December 11.
Swift announced the album by sharing the front and back cover art along with a message about the record, explaining that the album came about because she and her Folklore collaborators “just couldn’t stop writing songs.” She wrote:
“I’m elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore’s sister record, will be out tonight at midnight eastern. It’s called evermore. To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in. I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales. I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found into your lives. So I just kept writing them. And I loved creating these songs with Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, WB, and Justin Vernon. We’ve also welcomed some new (and longtime) friends to our musical kitchen table this time around…
Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now. You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! 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.”
The album features appearances from Folklore collaborator Bon Iver, as well as all of The National (not just Aaron Dessner) and Haim. Also at midnight, Swift will be releasing a video for the song “Willow,” the first track on the album.
Check out the Evermore art and tracklist, as well as Swift’s posts about the album, below.
1. “Willow”
2. “Champagne Problems”
3. “Gold Rush”
4. “‘Tis The Damn Season”
5. “Tolerate It”
6. “No Body, No Crime” Feat. Haim
7. “Happiness”
8. “Dorothea”
9. “Coney Island” Feat. The National
10. “Ivy”
11. “Cowboy Like Me”
12. “Long Story Short”
13. “Marjorie”
14. “Closure”
15. “Evermore” Feat. Bon Iver
16. “Right Where You Left Me” (bonus track)
17. “It’s Time To Go” (bonus track)
Evermore is out 12/11 via Republic. Pre-order it here.