Tove Lo - Lady Wood

Tove Lo
Lady Wood
2016
Spotify

It has been a pretty incredible couple of years for Tove Lo. Her record Queen of the Clouds was a smash hit, a worldwide tour with Katy Perry and tons of collaborations with some of the best producers in popular music mean there is a great deal of pressure on this sophomore release. Lo however is no slouch and largely writes her own music which adds a personal sentiment that you often don't get with a lot of pop stars on her level. Lady Wood continues her female sexual empowerment theme almost throughout save for a few tracks but it doesn't loose any of the bite that Clouds had. Tove Lo delights in sex, loves talking about it and singing about it and while other artists may mask it in some kind of metaphor, Tove Lo just puts it the fuck out there. She has a very hip hop sensibility in that respect, fuck the world I'm going to say what I want and not apologize. "Cool Girl" the first single from the record is a exploration of casual sex, but with the woman holding all the power and still wanting her freedom. Her smooth EDM-light beat choices also serve her well. Her songs sound totally modern right in line with anything some of the best producers are putting out right now, yet her writing still remains incredibly strong.

Clouds had a very defined story to tell; begining, middle and end and the interludes throughout the record made that all the more apparent. Something similar is tried with this record, but it never realyl connects and feels more like an afterthought than a direct path. The theme is much more singular on Lady Wood, female empowerment and sex, rather than taking the listener on a journey. This album is also lacking an all out banger like "Talking Body" or "Habits" and instead uses more of a tech-house late night vibe to get it's story across. "Vibes" is particularly techy and grounded in a style that might not be immediately palatable for casual listeners. Lady Wood also seems to be about letting go and allowing feeling, emotions and sins to take over rather than pushing them down. When she sings "I want you to lick my wounds" on "Vibes" it is both direct and vague at the same time proving just how great of a writer she really is. This album is about challenging yourself, your notions and what we consider pop music to be. Does it have to be about boyfriend girlfriend love? Does it have to be easy to digest? For Tove Lo the answer is no, and the album is summed up by the last title "WTF Love Is". Tove Lo is not quite sure what it is either just yet, but she is not going to stop exploring, her way.

8.1 out of 10