I wasn’t originally going to do a review on evermore, but I feel like I owe it to tradition to share my thoughts. Here is my review on Taylor’s new album. Some songs have descriptions, and some do not depending on if I have anything to say about them. This is also not my final ranking. I still need more time to process this album and fully enjoy it, so these rankings are likely to change over time.
gold rush
This song….. I don’t even know where to start.
The beginning, when the song opens with Taylor’s magical voice along with the strings combined make it sound like we’re going into heaven. This intro is exactly how I want my own music to sound. I am obsessed with this sound and am so unbelievably proud she delved into it. Also starting the song with the lyrics “gleaming, twinkling”. How could that be more me?
Continuing on, the song suddenly jumps into this deep, strutting down the streets of New York City pattern that you can’t help but move to. ” I don’t like that falling feels like flying ’til the bone crush”. After being in the city, Taylor transports us to an everlasting green field in the countryside that we ride through on horseback. The subtle guitar and shift in tone take us to this entirely new place of being in this wonderful relationship, when before we were filled with anxiety and distaste for the games. We fall back into the countryside before Taylor wakes us up from our daydream. DAYDREAM. WE WERE DAYDREAMING ABOUT THIS ROMANCE THAT NEVER EXISTED. She abruptly takes us back into the harmonious outdo that started out the song. This is Jack Antonoff’s favorite song off the album, and I must say that this man has consistent taste- My Tears Ricochet off Folklore and King of My Heart off Reputation.
Again, this is one of the best songs Taylor has ever made. She experimented so much with her sound.
Closure
Closure is as if Jon Bellion and Halsey had a baby (aka a masterpiece)- and here’s why. The unique banging of drums that carries us throughout the song sounds like a component of a Halsey song. The horns that come in after the second chorus are 100% Jon Bellion. That exact horn and placement is what he’s done in his own songs. The computer glitching sounds are also a sound Jon would probably use in his own music Lastly, the vocoder is a classic Jon move that Taylor herself has used in the past once or twice, so I’m so glad to see a comeback since it’s one of my favorite things in music. Now let’s get into the lyrics and how they describe my life perfectly. “It’s been a long time. And seeing the shape of your name, still spells out pain” “Don’t treat me like some situation that needs to handled” “Yes I got your letter. Yes I’m doing better. It cut deep to know ya, right to the bone. I know that it’s over, I don’t need your closure”.
This is hands down one of the best songs Taylor has every created. She experimented with her sound and created a story line (that I relate to) into a song that I WOULD’VE MADE MYSELF.
‘Tis the Damn Season
As we all probably assumed, I thought this was going to be a nice and happy Christmas song. how wrong we were. The picking of an electric guitar is what greets us first, which I LOVE whenever Taylor utilizes in her songs. The bass is also a strong instrument in the base of the song, deepening it.
This song is all about having a high school lover back at home, and when you show up for the holiday’s, you can’t help but think of them. Taylor wrote this about my life, I’m sure of it. The chorus lifts the mood for a bit, while she daydreams about bringing him back into her life. She wants to make the reckless decision to have some short-lasting illusion of love. She knows that it’d be a mistake to see him again by the line “the heart I know I’m breaking is my own”. She wants this romance and the memories that came with it, but knows that it won’t work out and she’ll just hurt herself again. “The road not taken looks really good now”. Things didn’t work out in the first place for a reason, but now all she can see is the love she could’ve had and wants it even if it’s only for the weekend.
“Messy as the mud on your truck tires”. Taylor touches on the mess of a relationship multiple times throughout her entire discography and is a topic I love. I’ve even written it into my own songs.
Willow
Willow makes me want to melt into a puddle. The guitar picking is what makes this song sound like folklore, I’m in love. The chorus is amazing “The more you say, the less I know. Whenever you stray, I follow. I’m begging for you to take my hands, wreck my plans, THAT’S MY MAN. You know that my train could take you home, anywhere is hollow”. This is just a lovely song that makes me feel like sunshine. In the music video, Taylor nods to Mad Woman by dressing as a witch and participating in a ritual. Another thing I love are witches, so this was made for me.
No Body, No Crime
Taylor takes us back to her country roots with this one. The only country I will accept is from Taylor. This song obviously has the drums, the harmonica, guitar, and so much more in classic country music fashion, but it also isn’t too intense. The sassy tone in Taylor’s voice just adds so much more punch to the lyrics. She used a common storyline in country songs of killing your husband. I don’t know why I didn’t write this one myself because it is so me. If you don’t know, I love watching documentaries and learning about killers. I’m not a fan of Haim myself, but this collaboration was really well done. The bridge killed me at “I’ve cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene”. This is when I knew how the song would end and I LOVED IT. This song is not only funny, but it’s also CLEVER. The way everything switches in the end to “She thinks I did it, but she just can’t prove it. No body, no crime. I wasn’t letting up until the day he died”. Incredible.
Long Story Short
This song is for my Gorgeous and London Boy peeps. It’s just a fun and warm song to jam to. I love how in the bridge she starts talking to her past self, giving her advice and also saying “And he’s passing by, rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky. And he feels like home”. This is the sweetest and most magical line I’ve heard. What a beauty.
Ivy
The chorus has such beautiful lyrics: “I can’t stop you from putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered.” No matter what she does, she can’t shake him from her dreams. He’s here to stay. She chooses to go after this affair even though she’s already married.
Evermore
Happiness
Tolerate it
Coney Island
Champagne Problems
Marjorie
Cowboy Like Me
Dorthea
Kimmy Villa 