Taylor Swift had released seven studio albums before Folklore, making it her eighth studio album and the home of “august.”
Folklore marked a major stylistic shift in Swift’s catalog. It followed Lover, released in 2019, and moved away from the brighter mainstream pop emphasis of some earlier work toward imagined characters, atmospheric arrangements, and folk- and alternative-influenced songwriting.
The album was surprise-released on July 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Swift described its songs as products of her imagination, with “august” forming part of a fictional love triangle alongside “Cardigan” and “Betty.”
The number seven refers to the albums that came before Folklore, not to the track’s position. “August” is the eighth track on Folklore, but the existing album-track question asks for that separate fact. Keeping the two numbers distinct avoids a frequent mix-up.