As the biggest Swiftie on the planet, it was hard to pick a favorite out of the nine studio albums that Ms. Swift produced in the 15 years of her career. Her eighth record, Folklore, (released July 24, 2021) however, topped the charts both in my Taylor-obsessed brain and on Billboard. The songwriting and production of this album were top tier, since she produced a perfect indie-styled album while fusing pop elements with her astounding songwriting. Folklore was the reason why I got back into her music again, after two years of not being interested.

This album–as the title suggests–is the different retelling of folk stories, although most of these she created a storyline by herself. An example of this is the love triangle between Betty, Augustine, and James (fictional characters created by Swift.) Their different perspectives are embedded in the songs cardigan, betty, and august.

To me, a good album is like a puzzle that is completed. As we know, every piece of the puzzle has to fit with one another to create the grand picture. This is what Taylor excelled in on this album; every song on it shined individually and it was cohesive as one record.