In a surprise move, Taylor Swift will be releasing a new album at midnight tonight.
The album, Swift’s eighth, is titled folklore and features contributions from frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, the always reliable Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon, and more.
"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 guaranteed," Swift said on Thursday. "My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world."
Swift elaborated on the release in a series of IG posts, clarifying that the standard edition of folklore boasts 16 tracks, while the deluxe sees the addition of a song called "the lakes." For one week only, in celebration of this marking her eighth studio album, fans will have the chance to collect eight different deluxe CD and vinyl editions that each contain unique covers and artwork.
Below, see the folklore tracklist. A music video for "cardigan," written and directed by Swift, will premiere alongside the release of the album tonight.
Aaron Dessner of the National, who also worked on the new album and fronts the group Big Red Machine with Vernon, shared an insightful statement of his own about the remotely conducted sessions that ultimately resulted in the finishing of 11 songs together.
"I'm very proud of all these songs and profoundly grateful to Taylor for inviting me into and trusting me in her process," Dessner said. "She is one of the most talented, hardworking, and deeply caring artists I've ever encountered."
Other albums set for release on July 24 include Logic's "final album" No Pressure, the deluxe edition of Gunna's Wunna, and—tentatively—Kanye West's Donda.
Last August, Swift came through with Lover, which received widespread acclaim and featured the ubiquitous singles "Me!" and "You Need to Calm Down." And at the top of this year, Miss Americana—Lana Wilson's documentary detailing a multi-year period in Swift's career—was released to a wave of strongly positive reviews.
Shortly after the folklore announcement, it was reported that all of Swift's previously released studio albums had seen a boost in U.S. unit sales this week.
