Dark words masked in bright melodies
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, professionally known as Tove Lo, is a Swedish singer-songwriter and has graced listeners with infectious pop beats like “Habits (Stay High),” “Cool Girl” and “Talking Body” as well as some famous features like “Closer” with Nick Jonas and “Say It” with Flume. She’s been active in the industry since 2006 and during her career has even helped pen many popular songs like “Honeymoon Dynamite” by Lorde and Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do.” Tove Lo’s flare for lyrically heavy grunge-twinged pop songs has earned her the nickname “the saddest girl in Sweden.”
Tove Lo’s newest album, Sunshine Kitty, includes many of her signature moody jams with plenty of emotional lyrics to boot. In her song “Glad He’s Gone,” listeners get that familiar Tove Lo sound, a pretty pop melody with some heartfelt lyrics. The track tells the story of a friend who cared for a guy that didn’t deserve her and shows us Tove Lo’s side of the story. With lyrics such as “I can tell she loves him way too deep/ he loves being fuckin’ hard to please” and “Bitch, I love you, he never loved you/ he never saw the pretty things that I do,” we get a taste of the emotional depth she often portrays through her music. We hear more personal heartbreak on “Bad as the Boys (feat. ALMA)” that also includes a catchy upbeat tune coupled with vulnerable and fiery lyrics like “I met her in the summer/ thinkin’ life will get better/ but she’s gone no/ took my heart and sunk it/ she was just as bad as the boys.”
However, this album does show fans a more experimental side of Tove Lo, like in track “Are U gonna tell her? (feat. Mc Zaac)” that has a slight electronica influence to it. There’s a bit more of that electronica sound with a repetitious ’80s vibe that can be heard on “Jacques,” a track featuring Jax Jones.
There are a few songs on the album that definitely have the potential to reach mainstream success and a bit of radio play, like “Sweettalk my Heart” or “Mateo” that both have revealing lyrics with fun upbeats choruses, which seem to be the Tove Lo’s trademark.
Sunshine Kitty is brutal honesty wrapped up in pretty pop songs. Tove Lo continues to show people just how well she can turn words of feelings and heartache into a fun time.
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