Under her own record label Pretty Swede Records, Tove Lo gives us her fifth studio album - but the first to give her complete creative freedom.
TW: Eating Disorders
After the release of her album Sunshine Kitty in 2019 we were finally treated to her new album Dirt Femme, as well as short film in which she explores the record and shows us the story she’s curated with the masterpiece tracklist. With features from the folk duo First Aid Kit and rapper Channel Tres we hear a new side to her music, and to herself.
The album’s first single was released in January 2022 for the Euphoria soundtrack, and it was clear the Tove Lo we knew had indeed changed. The singles that followed only helped to show this was different from what we had heard before.
She is well known for exploring the female body, with the prime example being the album Lady Wood and the vaginal symbolism released with it. On Dirt Femme we hear about the emotional aspects of heartache, how she can feel like she’s not all woman, and the fears associated with that. One song that clearly showcases a struggle like this is ‘Suburbia’: she talks about the fear of her marriage, how she knows she cannot be a submissive wife and follow what her husband wants; she fears that she’d lose him if she does, but she also doesn’t have a baby. In the stunning bridge she goes on to worry about what she should do if she doesn’t want the things she’s meant to want, which is a fear most of her fans can empathise with.
One song that Tove is so raw on is ‘Grapefruit’, in which she talks about the eating disorder she had and how it affected her so deeply. She perfectly describes the feelings people have when battling these thoughts and feelings, yet she’s in a position now where she knows it’s not something that should define her and how she looks.
This album goes on to give the gays what they want - as Tove even said on her Twitter during promotion of Dirt Femme - and does not disappoint in any aspect. Both ‘Call on Me’ and ‘Pineapple Slice’ were created with new producer SG Lewis, who she hasn’t worked with before and who helped these songs have a unique feeling compared to her previous artistry. With great anticipation that the Dirt Femme world tour will show us more crazy, wonderful ideas are spinning around in her head!
Image courtesy of Divyansh Sharma via Unsplash. Image licence can be found here.
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