Tove Lo is a bit of an enigma, in many ways. I’m not quite sure how I managed to avoid knowing about her before last year, or exactly how I became aware of her (awesome) music. I think it was through hearing a cover of ‘Habits (Stay High)’ by Greysha but, as with many things Lo-related, I can’t be entirely sure.
What else is mysterious about Lo? It’s her ability to transcend pop/alt-dance boundaries; she writes very good songs, in the most traditional sense of the word, but those songs are anything but traditional. They’re beautifully structured, bringing a real sense of satisfaction as you listen; they’re highly varied in their themes and style; and they’re delivered in a way which is frequently surprising: the smile-factor is strong with Lo.
This album, ‘Dirt Femme’, has been on my playlist since its release in November, and on my mind almost continuously. The delay in getting this blog post finished has been entirely due to my struggle to translate what I feel and hear from this record into suitable words. Today I decided to bite that bullet and just write.
In short, I rate this album very highly indeed. I find it incredibly rich and gratifying. It’s also one I feel will have longevity, partly because there are so many subtle touches sprinkled across it. Some of these are production details - those deceptively small tweaks of EQ and effect which mark out a great record from a good one. Others are marks of a very accomplished songwriter.
Track one is ‘No One Dies From Love’, which opens with warm 80s-reloaded synths but quickly segues as Lo’s utterly contemporary vocals appear. There’s plenty of auto tune, but that’s fine here. Lo doesn’t need to prove anything - her vocals speak for themselves throughout this album, many times, so there’s a sense of absolute confidence and commitment. Those vocals also have an immediacy thanks to the way they’re mixed. This allows the message of the song, and the transmission of emotion, to come through untarnished.
The track opens up with a pulsing synth beat joining the layered voices. But the song doesn’t really peak or “drop” in an obvious way - it stays just below the line, although that’s not to say it’s not a banging tune. That’s a good production decision, matching the sensibility of the lyrics. It also allows a smooth transition into ‘Suburbia’, a monologue-dialogue honestly expressing the push-pull emotions and inner struggles of a woman facing choices and societal expectations.
“I hope you know that I know you are the love of my life,
But I can’t be no Stepford wife”
Now it’s time for the crisp, sugar-sweet intensity of ‘2 Die 4’ to appear on the scene - it’s a pretty perfect dance/alt-pop song circling around an insanely catchy sample from ‘Popcorn’ by Hot Butter. The bassline supports the small movement of the tune so well, and in the background are beautifully balanced synth strings. This is songwriting done just right for the TikTok/Insta generation, but with more than a nod to the giants’ shoulders on which Lo is standing.
Where do we go from here? Another upbeat pop banger? No. It’s a stroke of genius to change direction completely at this point instead, and deliver an almost entirely acapella track, ‘True Romance’. Lo’s voice is presented apparently unfiltered for the majority of the track, and sounds incredible (this is what I was talking about earlier when I mentioned Lo having nothing to prove). It’s raw and passionate, verging on visceral.
And next: another swerve back to awesome synth-led pop and ‘Grapefruit’, probably my favourite track of the album. The message of body image and body positivity is clear and honestly elevated, mainly through a really great refrain. That chorus is catchy and based on a very effective motif (“1, 2, Grapefruit … 3, 4 … 5, 6”) but interestingly there are slightly varying lyrics each time. There’s also a gorgeously pulsing synth backing, relentlessly present for the whole song, and this is boosted with unexpected, quirky, descending breaks in the chorus and brilliant use of pitch bends in the later playout which plays with a variation on one of the melodies of the song. I am obsessed.
_By_Daniel_A%CC%8Ahs_Karlsson.jpeg)
Photo: Daniel Åhs Karlsson
‘Cute & Cruel’ is a paean to love, and another track where vocals are the main event. The track features Swedish folk/Americana geniuses First Aid Kit - what more could you want? Their stridently pure voices fit really well with Lo’s fractionally more husky sound, and the harmonies are sweet and subtle. The track builds very nicely, embellished musically to a greater degree as time goes on, but without diverting from a clear course: telling a simple story of the reality of this most complex human emotion.
Three more collabs follow, the first two (with SG Lewis and then Channel Tres) melding together very well - the album has settled into a comfortable groove at this point, with a real sense of direction. These lead smoothly into the second collaboration with SG Lewis, ‘Pineapple Slice’, at track 9, which drips with sensuality. These three tracks provide a very neat, disco-inspired interlude - rich and upbeat.
Then it’s into what seems at first to be a lo-fi acoustic guitar ballad, ‘I’m To Blame’. But there’s piano and electric guitar too, and a heavily contrasting, forceful beat. The effect is like a quick journey from demo tape to stadium success - a musical spectrum shown in miniature. Last but one is ‘Kick In The Head’: a slightly more unusual song, but which nevertheless fits well into this last trio of tracks. These are songs which demonstrate again Lo’s genre-crossing, pigeonhole-defying nature. Her music, and her themes too, are always genuine and believable. In some places this is presented in an entirely straightforward way, while in others it’s enigmatic and utterly cool.
And finally, another favourite of mine, ‘How Long’. The track may be familiar as it was released as a single in January 2022, and has also featured on the soundtrack to a TV series (Euphoria). It’s a song I was hooked on the first time I heard that distinctive intro: a hesitant, accelerating series of descending notes of an open chord, which then launches - in a strikingly elastic way - into the song proper. This is a track with a very clear structure, but again done a bit differently. It’s a microcosm of the album as a whole, and of Lo’s approach to her art, and in that way the perfect way to end the record.
‘Dirt Femme’ was released on 14th October 2022 on Pretty Swede Records, Lo’s own label. It’s her fifth studio album.