Taylor Swift ditches the synths on new acoustic version of Fortnight, featuring Post Malone
Stripped-back reworking leans on piano and acoustic guitar and calls to mind her Folklore and Evermore eras
The seemingly never-ending stream of new Taylor Swift music has continued with the release of an acoustic version of Fortnight, the lead single from recent album The Tortured Poets Department.
As with the original, this stripped-back take on the song features Post Malone, but ditches the moody synths in favour of piano and acoustic guitar. Sonically, it harks back to Swift’s Folklore and Evermore, the critically-acclaimed indie-folk albums that she recorded at home during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
As well as the acoustic rework, there’s also a new remix of Fortnight from New York indie-pop band Cults. Writing on Instagram, the duo (Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin) said that they were honoured to be given the opportunity to put their spin on the song. A BLOND:ISH remix of Fortnight was released in May.
Swift is currently on the home straight of her globe-trotting Eras tour. Dates in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria will be followed by a return to Wembley Stadium for a further five nights in London. After a brief hiatus, the tour will then conclude in Canada with shows in Toronto and Vancouver in November and December.
Separately, the Taylor Swift - Songbook Trail exhibition will be taking place at the V&A in London between 27 July and 8 September. This will feature costumes, instruments, written lyrics and videos from Swift’s personal archives and tell the story of her career across 13 ‘stops’.
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I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.
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