Taylor Swift’s “evermore” is not an album of lullabies but it still put me to sleep
by Ari Rustad
January 18, 2021
January 18, 2021
Taylor Swift's surprising release of her most recent album “evermore'' was shocking due to how recent the release of her previous album “folklore” had been. With that in mind, maybe the Pop singer should have waited a little longer to develop a more exciting, less repetitive sound for her album.
The stories told in the songs of “evermore” are abundant and well written though the sound of the album as a whole gets quite repetitive. I found the repetition made it difficult to differentiate certain songs from each other and made my full album listening experience a boring one. The songs “tolerate it,” “happiness,” and “coney island” are a prime example of this sound becoming staler and staler. Though this is my belief, Senior Winnie Leahy, a long time Taylor Swift fan has a very different take on the common sound of the album saying, “while the sound of the album is relatively homogenous, the lyrics have a wide range and deep complexity, as each song has a story or deeper meaning behind it.”
Not only did these songs have a similar sound but the themes remained similar as well, often focusing on loss and the end of relationships. Whether these relationships are romantic or strictly platonic, one thing is simple: I’m bored.
It is important however to give Swift credit where it is due in the areas that she did produce some songs that I, someone relatively indifferent to the music of Taylor Swift, personally like. Many people across social media platforms have also expressed interest in certain songs from the album; “champagne problems” seems to be the most popular, especially on the platform TikTok; the song has gained listeners after people have used it in the background of their videos. I would have to agree that it is the best song on the album. The story line is unique and the song has a different sound to the tired one existing throughout the album. Leahy also agrees that champagne problems is her favorite of the album saying, “the story is built up, climaxes, and begins to decline all within the bridge. You can also see great parallels between real life and TV relationships.”
As I went through the album I was struck by the unexpected new sound that Swift has developed. She seems to be straying away from her 2014-2017 Queen-of-Pop sound to something more alternative or folk sounding. The new sound seems to be an intentional change that was strictly adhered to throughout the entirety of the album. This was achieved through a lack of the pop song essentials; constant rhyming and a repeated, upbeat chorus being some of these missing elements. Though I find “evermore” quite dull, I believe that if this new sound were done right it would be a good thing and something I would enjoy listening to.
All in all, I think that certain songs on “evermore” by Taylor Swift are worth the listen. Though a listen through the whole album at once might be boring there are some songs that make it worth it. An obvious one being “champagne problems” but also “cowboy like me” and “evermore” are notable as well.