Breakout bad girl Tove Lo is back on her second LP “Lady Wood.”
Swedish self-proclaimed feminist and avid pot smoker Tove Lo is known for bold, sexually crude lyrics and beats that move. She owes her success to “Queen of the Clouds:” singles. “Habits (Stay High)” and “Talking Body” off of her debut album. She also collaborated with Nick Jonas on the duet “Close” which hit the soundwaves over the summer.
With an explicit cover image and vulgar lyrics, Tove Lo’s latest album contains only four “clean” songs out of the 12 tracks on the album. Two of those are less than a minute and do not have lyrics. They serve more as interludes than full songs.
“Lady Wood” seems like a continuation of “Queen of the Clouds,” rather than a new album. Her lyrics are extremely personal and the music behind them is chill-techno, much like her first album. She drops f-bombs left and right as well as describing, in great detail, sexual content. This album is not for the faint of heart.
“Once again, it’s very personal,” Tove Lo said in an interview with Fuse. “You know, you have your whole life to write your first record, but I had two years to write this one – so, everything I’ve been through, the arm-pinching, crazy new experiences. A lot of emotions.”
Lead single “Cool Girl” revisits “Queen of the Clouds.” Starting off slowly, “Cool Girl” transitions into a bouncy, techno dance track sure to get crowds moving. The lyrics do not seem to be extremely personal like some of the other tracks on the album, but the beat pairs perfectly with Tove Lo’s earlier album.
The two instrumental interlude songs, “Fairy Dust (Chapter I)” and “Fire Fade (Chapter II)” seem like pointless minutes of the same music. The two minutes could have been used for Tove Lo to express herself even more, instead, listeners get two tracks to skip.
The album’s title track, “Lady Wood,” is a dark dance track with very direct lyrics. While the lyrics seem repetitive, they are some what drowned out by the music. The music is strategically lowered when Tove Lo sings the title lyric. Other than that, the lyrics fall flat compared to the dark techno beats.
“Imaginary Friend,” one of the few clean tracks on the album, is filled with angst and heartbreaking lyrics. “Crushing my heart, tear me apart/ Hate on this world ‘cause reality sucks” are the opening lyrics to the song’s chorus. It may seem like it would be an overly depressing song, but the lyrics turn around to reminding the listener to listen to that small voice in the back of their head when told they are not good enough.
While the whole album sounds quite similar throughout, “Lady Wood” is worth the listen. Tove Lo may be crude and dark, but that is what sets her album apart from other pop artists.
