As you all probably know by now, the only time I do an album review is when Taylor Swift releases one but the surprise release of Evermore came at a bad time for me so it’s taken me a while to write this up. But I’m finally doing it!

With my reviews of Lover and Folklore, I knew immediately what I wanted to write and my verdict came together pretty easily, but Evermore hasn’t been like that. I have listened to it a few times over the past 10 days for the purposes of this review but I don’t think I’ll ever listen to it in its entirety again. Songs like Closure, Cowboy Like Me and Coney Island are definitely skips for me and while I adore some of the middle entries (see my ranking below) while listening to them, I can’t see myself actively deciding to play them over Taylor’s other work.

But, on a positive note, there are some standout tracks that I genuinely love. No Body, No Crime, her collab with Haim, is my favourite – I love the storytelling and the country vibe – and I think both Willow and Ivy are beautiful songs, in terms of the lyrics as well as the melody. Those are my top three. I like ‘Tis the Damn Season, Gold Rush and Evermore a lot so maybe they’ll get some listens in the future. I had Long Story Short as my top track on the first listen – I think that’s because it was the most poppy – but it’s since dropped a few places because it doesn’t sound as nice as some of the others.

Just like I said with Folklore, it’s exciting to see Taylor exploring a new sound but I don’t think any of these songs across both albums will top her pop work for me. The pared-back acoustic sound isn’t one I generally gravitate towards, but regardless of my personal preference, I can still appreciate the lyrical genius she continues to be here.

Here’s my track ranking from best to worst: