Taylor Swift - folklore (2020) Hi Res

The sudden, seismic change to our lifestyles, the narrowing of our horizons, the inability to escape our families: It's all prompted a wave of self-reflection and re-evaluation. Taylor Swift was not immune.

In April, she posted a photo to Instagram with the caption: "Not a lot going on at the moment." Twelve weeks later, she's written and recorded a entirely new album, Folklore - a record that fills the void left by a summer of cancelled festival appearances, including a headline slot at Glastonbury.

Fittingly, it's a low-key, sombre record, looking back at old flames and old mistakes. The Technicolor exuberance of last year's Lover is entirely gone. In its place are muted pianos, mournful harmonicas and finger-picked guitars. This is Swift's indie album.

The signs were there in her choice of collaborators - chiefly Aaron Dessner of The National, whose heartfelt and quietly anthemic songs have regularly featured on Swift's playlists, is a co-writer or producer on 11 of the album's 16 songs.

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon crops up for a duet on Exile - a delicate ballad that paints a failing relationship as a territorial war - while the cast list is completed by Swift's frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, who she says "is basically musical family at this point."

The impact of the pandemic is most apparent on Epiphany - a tribute to health workers working under pressure in times of crisis.