She’s done it again.
Sweden’s Tove Lo has already released the EP of the year in ‘Truth
Serum’, a collection of searingly honest love songs. Now she’s gone one step further with the
release of her debut album, ‘Queen of the Clouds’. It’s a concept album that depicts the rise, the
euphoria and the fall of a relationship through some of the best pop tracks of
the year. In her hands, pop is far from unintelligent.
The sound is fairly typical for 2014 Swedish pop – by no
means a criticism. A heavy dose of
synths mixed with a handful of live instruments contribute to an exceedingly
high level of polish, each track jam-packed with catchy melodies and
hooks. There’s plenty of variety too,
from menacing opener My Gun, to the exhilarating
Katy Perry-esque Timebomb, the
haunting dub-step of The Way That I Am,
and the melancholic dance-pop of lead single Habits (Stay High). That’s
not to mention all the little touches: the clicking gun shots of My Gun; the buoyant backing vocals of Like Em Young; the earth-shattering
drums in the chorus of Timebomb; the
whizzing synths of Not on Drugs, just
to name a handful. Lo may not be pushing
the boundaries of pop music with the production, but it’s all incredibly well
executed, with a bright and brilliant sound and constant sense of urgency that’s
accessible, radio friendly and hugely satisfying to listen to.
That said, it’s with the lyrics that Lo reveals her
talents. She’s not afraid to tackle the
darker, psychological aspects of modern love that most pop tracks shy away from
and that’s what makes her a masterful songwriter. Sung in her gritty and raw vocal, each song
explores different moments of a relationship with stark, brutal honesty. Despite the aggressive My Gun, the opening few tracks are generally a light-hearted view
of seeking love: the bubbly comedy of Like
Em Young, the fizzing and sexual Talking
Body (“if you love me right, we f*ck for life”) and the headrush of Timebomb with its rambling verses and
punchy chorus. Yet on Moments, relationships aren’t all they’re
cracked up to be: “I’m not the prettiest you’ve ever seen, but I have my moments…on
good days I am charming as f*ck”. That
continues with The Way That I Am: “I’m
falling in love and I hope that you want me the way that I am”. In Lo’s view, love isn’t a fairytale – this is
an album based on truth and reality. Got Love may have fantastical lyrics (“we
live like legends now”), but even on Not
on Drugs the high of love is in doubt (“Baby listen please, I’m not on
drugs…I’m just in love”).
It’s with pain that Lo truly stretches her songwriting
muscles though, with an uncanny ability to capture heartbreak through simple
and direct lyrics. “That’s when I run
all of these thousand miles to get you back”, she sings in desperation on Thousand Miles; Habits (Stay High) is a crippling depiction of despondency; and This Time Around is a cold and empty
reflection of lost love (“bodies growing colder with the distance now…thought you’d
make me feel it”). ‘Queen of the Clouds’
is not an album that ends with hope; played on repeat it creates an endless
cycle of turbulent, failing relationships.
That juxtaposition of melancholy and euphoria is what
Swedish songwriters do best, but Tove Lo is essentially the best popstar to
come out of the country since Robyn.
Like a passionate love affair, this debut is fairly short, full of life,
and oh so very sweet.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Talking Body
* Moments
* Not on Drugs
Listen: ‘Queen of the Clouds’ is available now across most
of the world, with a UK release coming next year.
