Taylor Swift's birthday gift to fans? New album 'Evermore'

Dec. 10, 2020 Updated 8:52 AM PT

This is me trying to keep up with Taylor Swift in 2020:

On Thursday morning, the “Cardigan” hitmaker announced plans to release her second surprise album of 2020, less than six months after she similarly dropped her critically acclaimed quarantine collection “Folklore” without warning. Titled “Evermore,” the pop phenom’s latest studio effort arrives Thursday night at 9 Pacific time.

“I’m elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore’s sister record, will be out tonight,” Swift wrote Thursday on social media. “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music.

“We chose to wander deeper in. I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning.”

Swift’s announcement comes days after the Los Angeles Times — and multiple other publications — crowned “Folklore” the No. 1 album of 2020. The intimate, folksy release also earned Swift six Grammy nominations.

“I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales,” she continued Thursday. “I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found into your lives. So I just kept writing them. And I loved creating these songs with Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, WB, and Justin Vernon. We’ve also welcomed some new (and longtime) friends to our musical kitchen table this time around.”

The songwriting machine, who turns 31 Sunday, also revealed the 15-part track list for “Evermore,” including “No Body, No Crime,” featuring Haim; “Coney Island,” featuring the National; and a title track featuring Bon Iver. The music video for her lead single, “Willow” — directed by Swift herself — will also debut Thursday at 9 p.m. Pacific.

“Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now,” Swift said in a followup Instagram post.

Rounding out the “Evermore” track list are “Champagne Problems,” “Gold Rush,” “Tis the Damn Season,” “Tolerate It,” “Happiness,” “Dorothea,” “Ivy,” “Cowboy Like Me,” “Long Story Short,” “Marjorie” and “Closure” — plus two bonus tracks — “Right Where You Left Me” and “It’s Time to Go” — for the “deluxe physical edition.”

Swifties who download “Evermore” will also gain access to “an exclusive, digital booklet with 16 brand new photos,” which is available for preorder on the musician’s website.

“You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you.”

Needless to say, it’s been quite a morning for Swift’s loyal legion of fans, who have taken to Twitter in droves to celebrate the big news. And some pointed out that the tireless “Love Story” artist has also been busy rerecording her first six albums, making Thursday’s development that much more stunning.

“Where’d Taylor Swift get the motivation to record two albums and re record her previous songs i cant even be bothered to wake up in the morning,” one person wrote.

“Taylor Swift dropping a surprise album on the first night of hannukah is exactly the kind of miracle god intended,” tweeted another.

See more reactions to Swift’s “Evermore” revelation below.