It's been a brutal summer (or rather, the entire year), but the surprise announcement of Taylor Swift's new album, Folklore, shows that even in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, sometimes things can be really good.

On the morning of July 23, Swift revealed the surprise album on Instagram. As usual, she began by posting a cryptic Instagram photo with a new aesthetic that represents a new era. The black-and-white photo shows Swift in the woods (not out of the woods). She then announced the release of her eighth studio album, Folklore, on Friday, July 24, at midnight EST, and a track list of 16 songs "infused with all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings."

Midnight also unveiled the music video for track 2, "Cardigan," which Swift wrote and directed. She also did her own hair and makeup. Masks were worn, social distancing was practiced, and the proceedings were supervised by a health inspector.

(Swift fans in search of Easter eggs will be well aware that the 7/24 date is Swift's lucky number, 13.)

In the announcement, Swift wrote. "Most of what I had planned for this summer didn't happen, but what I hadn't planned for did. It's my eighth studio album, Folklore. It's a surprise."

These plans included an international tour, Loverfest, featuring songs from her latest album, Lover. Instead, like many other musicians, the coronavirus outbreak forced Swift to postpone the event.

In May, Swift's "City of Lover" concert in Paris in September 2019 was broadcast on ABC. Many Swifties thought they would have to wait until at least the fall (when the superstar usually releases a new album) for something new. But as Swift herself said, "Surprise.

"Tonight at midnight, I'm releasing a brand new album, made up of songs that are infused with all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings," she said.

"Before this year, I would have overthought when I would release these songs at the 'perfect' time, but these times we live in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed," Swift wrote in her announcement. It's an aspect of uncertainty I can get behind. I love you all."

In a social media post, Swift also revealed the track list and collaborators for Folklore, including Bon Iver, The National guitarist Aaron Dessner, and Jack Antonoff. He also credits engineers Laura Sisk and John Lowe, mixers Lowe and Servan Genea, and photographer Beth Galavant.

The regular edition of Folklore contains 16 tracks, while the eight deluxe CD and eight vinyl editions include the bonus track "the lakes."

Here is the complete track list:

The regular edition of "Folklore" on TS8 is available on all major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

The deluxe edition CD and vinyl are available at store.taylorswift.com.

Reviews of "Folklore" have been very positive so far, with critics praising Swift's storytelling, stripped-down production, and a sound unlike Swift's previous music. The following is a summary of the reviews of "Folklore."

NME: Folklore feels fresh, forward-looking, and above all sincere. The glossy production she has worked on for the past half-decade has been pushed aside in favor of simpler, softer melodies and wistful instrumentation. This is the sound of an artist who has grown tired of calculated releases and wants to try something different.

USA Today: "Clearly not radio-friendly, every track on this album is a treasure trove of evocative metaphors and diary-like lyrics that succeed in capturing familiar emotions in ways you never knew possible."

USA Today. tracks are a treasure trove of evocative metaphors and diary-like lyrics that succeed in capturing familiar emotions in ways you didn't know possible.

Billboard Folklore certainly deviates from the Top 40 trajectory Swift set out on six years ago, but there's nothing quiet about it. Swift presents her new album as a tour de force of songwriting, ruminating on the passage of time, grasping at fleeting memories, often working over complex orchestral arrangements, demonstrating the breadth and depth of her artistic skill in refusing to muddle words or sweeten sour reality

Variety.

Variety Perhaps the best comparison is to take Clean, the unrepresentative conclusion of 1989. It is really hard to recall a pop star in our lifetime who has indulged so seriously in the act of cleansing his sonic palette."

The Guardian "It's Swift's most coherent album since her country-only days, and nonetheless her most experimental. Some songs evoke the intimate, heavenly tenderness of Sufjan Stevens circa Carrie and Lowell."