taylor swift cardigan folklore
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10 alternative artists Taylor Swift should collab with next after ‘folklore’

Taylor Swift recently surprise-dropped folklore, her eighth album, which is completely different from anything she’s ever released. 

Swift, who’s known for country songs and pop hits, went alternative this time with the album she recorded while stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Read more: This Paramore song is the latest inspiration for a new TikTok trend

And if you don’t believe us, the album is really classified as alternative. She collaborated with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, the Nationals Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff (Bleachers, fun.).

While Swift has worked with Antonoff several times, the other two artists were new collaborations for her as she put her foot in the alt-rock and indie music world. Now that she’s tried it out, we can’t help but think about who else we’d love to see her collaborate with. 

We’ve rounded up 10 alternative artists we think Swift should collaborate with in honor of her new album. And who knows? Maybe one day she actually will. 

Hayley Williams

While Hayley Williams did appear in Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video and join her onstage for “That’s What You Get” nine years ago, the two haven’t had a proper collaboration. We already know Swift is friends with the Paramore frontwoman, so a collab featuring the two vocal powerhouses is a must. 

Phoebe Bridgers

Can you imagine how sad this song would be? Both of these artists are amazing songwriters with hauntingly beautiful vocals. The world wouldn’t be able to handle this much power. Also, Phoebe Bridgers has been vocal on Twitter about her love for folklore, so we at least know she’d be down. 

The Killers

The Killers and Swift might put out very different music, but as performers, they’re actually quite similar. Both are powerhouses onstage, captivating and involving the audience in a sensory-overload experience. We could definitely see them working on a track that would be as high energy as possible. Maybe they could do a mashup of both of their songs called “The Man”? 

Manchester Orchestra

We chose this mashup because imagining Swift singing the vocals on any Manchester Orchestra track just seems like pure magic. Swift’s writing style and use of varying perspectives on folklore complement songs by Manchester Orchestra, so nothing but good could come from getting them both in a studio together. 

Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy has cited Swift as one of her major inspirations, which you can definitely hear when listening to her music that’s vulnerable and thoughtful but delivered powerfully. These two seem like they could be just as good of friends as they could be collaborators. 

Death Cab For Cutie

Try to tell us that this doesn’t seem possible after the release of folklore. Death Cab For Cutie have been cutting us deep with their emotional tracks for years, just like Swift, so combining the two would definitely move us to tears, and we’d need some time to recover. Regardless, we have to hear what they could do together. 

Dashboard Confessional

Swift has been outspoken about her love for Dashboard Confessional for years and even surprised her best friend with a personal concert from them. Listening to folklore, there’s no doubt that the band have influenced the pop singer. This collab would probably be a dream come true for Swift—and us too. 

lovelytheband

For some reason, it’s really easy to picture Swift dancing and singing along to songs by lovelytheband. We could see her working with the band and coming up with a high-energy track that we just couldn’t stop listening to. 

Snail Mail

Snail Mail and Swift write some of the most gut-wrenching, relatable songs, especially for young women. These two would absolutely write a breakup track that would destroy us, and we want to listen to it now. 

The 1975

Come on now, who doesn’t want to see Swift and Matty Healy perform together? We can’t even imagine what a collab with the 1975 would sound like, but we already know that we’d love it. Plus, if they got a chance to do a live show together, it would undoubtedly be unforgettable.