Taylor Swift Announces Album "Folklore" With Aaron Dessner, Bon Iver

Taylor Swift surprised fans by announcing what appears to be her answer to Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods — a brand new studio album called folklore, featuring some forest-themed artwork and contributions from indie-rock heavyweights like Bon Iver and The National’s Aaron Dessner.

Swift’s eighth studio LP, which will be released at midnight EST, was written and recorded entirely in quarantine, and 11 of its 16 tracks were co-written or produced by Dessner. “Before this year, I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed,” the singer wrote in her announcement. “My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.”

Surprise 🤗 Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my 8th studio album, folklore; an entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. Pre-order at https://t.co/zSHpnhUlLb pic.twitter.com/4ZVGy4l23b

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 23, 2020

Swift also announced that she’ll be releasing eight deluxe CD editions and eight deluxe vinyl editions of the album, which will contain a bonus track called “the lakes” and each have a unique cover, photos and artwork. The deluxe physical editions will be available for one week. She also revealed that the music video for lead single “cardigan” will be released tonight.

“The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup and styling,” she wrote.

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folklore will have 16 songs on the standard edition, but the physical deluxe editions will include a bonus track called “the lakes.” Because this is my 8th studio album, I made 8 deluxe CD editions and 8 deluxe vinyl editions that are available for one week😄 Each deluxe edition has unique covers, photos, and artwork. Available exclusively at taylorswift.com

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:03am PDT

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The music video for “cardigan” will premiere tonight, which I wrote/directed. A million thank you’s to my brilliant, bad ass video team – cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, executive producer Rebecca Skinner, AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osbourne, editor Chancler Haynes, special effects wizards David Lebensfeld & Grant Miller, and set designer Ethan Tobman. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling 😂

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:08am PDT