Taylor Swift’s “august” appears on her eighth studio album, Folklore. The album was surprise-released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records.
Folklore marked a major change in Swift’s presentation and songwriting. Instead of focusing mainly on autobiographical pop, she developed fictional characters, imagined histories, and interconnected narratives. “august” belongs to one of the album’s central stories: a summer romance involving James, Betty, and an unnamed young woman.
The album was created during the COVID-19 pandemic and drew on indie folk, chamber pop, alternative rock, and dream-pop textures. Swift worked extensively with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, while Joe Alwyn also received production credits on several songs.
A common mix-up is confusing Folklore with Evermore, Swift’s ninth studio album, which followed later in 2020. “august” is firmly a Folklore track and appears on that album’s standard edition.