Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, Folklore, was released on July 24th to the surprise of her fan-base, and has been very warmly received both critically and commercially. It’s the first album to be released following her departure from Big Machine records and her very public feud with Scooter Braun (Swift is no stranger to public rows, the most famous of which involving a certain presidential candidate.)
Folklore joins an ever-growing list of critically acclaimed albums released by female musicians this year that detail interrelationship trauma and the experience of navigating modern womanhood. Other examples of this kind of album includes Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple (her first release since 2012), and Hayley William’s first solo effort Petals for Armor.
What these albums all have in common is the way they unflinchingly portray the experience of ‘awakening’ that a lot of women go through. Its the realisation that your shitty ex was actually abusive, that your whole perception of other women and yourself has been subconsciously shaped by men. It is a kind of furious enlightenment that is quite difficult to verbalise, which makes the achievements of these musicians even grander. Some of the aforementioned albums deal with the feelings of rage and sheer fury that follow in the immediate aftermath of this enlightenment, and some encapsulate the desperation and melancholy of the post-realisation healing process. Folklore expertly tackles both.
Lola Stansbury-Jones 