All The Evidence That Taylor Swift's New Album Is The Story Of Joe

Is Taylor Swift dropping her seventh album on April 26? That's certainly what it seems like. The "Blank Space" singer had posted a slew of cryptic clues on her Instagram highlighting that date, and cultivated a new pink, hearts, and sequin-filled aesthetic that seemingly teases a new era for the Taylorsphere. One thing that fans don't know yet is what the theme or story behind this supposed album is — but Swift may have shared just enough clues to reveal it to eagle-eyed fans.

Earlier this week, some fans noticed that Swift's new sparkly heart background was present on each of her Spotify tracks — save for one. That song is "The Story of Us," a track off her 2010 album Speak Now. That song had its original artwork, from the Speak Now album.

Not every fan experienced this, which made me write this particular "clue" off as a glitch. Except, check this out: The length of "Story of Us" clocks in at exactly four minutes and 26 seconds. As in...April 26.

Speak Now was a particularly special album. For one thing, it was written entirely by Swift, making it a very personal work.

"The Story of Us" (which debuted eight years ago) tells the story of a relationship gone sour — which is so not the mood that Swift and her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, are projecting these days. All reports indicate that the two are very much in love, but keeping their romance private. Still, "The Story of Us" is certainly a good title for an album about any relationship. Swift may be dropping hints that her new album will detail the relationship between her and her boo.

Unlike the bummer drama in the song "The Story of Us," Swift's bright, pink, heart-laden aesthetic suggests this story has a much happier ending.

Then there's the final song on Swift's last album, Reputation — "New Year's Day." The song is pretty obviously about finding love with Alwyn. Here are some of the lyrics.

"Don't read the last page/But I stay/When you're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away."

"Don't read the last page" suggests that Swift is telling a story — one that she could finish in a new album, perhaps literally titled The Story of Us.

Now, here's the real stretch to the theory: Is it possible that Swift is also making a big engagement announcement with this album? The title of Speak Now is in reference to the album's titular track, which is about a woman interrupting the wedding of her true love. Rumors have swirled for months that Alwyn and Swift are inches away from engagement (sources for Us Weekly claim their friends are betting on when it will happen) so maybe Swift will announce more than just a new album, but her new fiancé as well.

On Thursday, Swift released one final clue: After dropping clues for fans to follow, Swift appeared in front of a Kelsey Montague mural in Nashville. The mural is full of things that appeared on Swift's Instagram over the past few weeks, such as cats, hearts, and pastel colors. Swift teased that the mural had clues about her new music within it. If these are all things that Swift loves...maybe Joe is the one thing missing.

Obviously, we'll have to wait until Swift finally reveals all on April 26 to see if this theory checks out...but here's hoping Alwyn enjoys being Swift's muse.