Of course, because every album trying to be something it isn’t, this album opens up with “Light Beams (Part One)”. It’s cloudy, hazy, drugged out, and I honestly don’t mind it much at all at first. But of course, Tove Lo comes in talking about how she’s the *ahem* “Motherfucking Queen of the Disco Tits”. Instantly, I have all sorts of questions, no thank you. Now, spoiler alert, this album really isn’t a good one. At first, I really wasn’t into the “disco tits” single at all. I just feel like a whole lot of this is what we got from Tove on her first few projects. It’s just a whole big mess of Sex metaphors and steamy moments. Now, done in moderation, this could totally be a rebellious sound for Tove. But when I hear it constantly in every other lyric, it’s just not flattering or interesting. But believe it or not, “disco tits” has grown on me. I love the smooth beat during the chorus and just how infectious and mesmerizing this one is. But trust me, it took a LOT to love this one. And if you’re not into this or think it’s just more of the same from Tove, that’s totally fine. Then we have “shedontknowbutsheknows”, and instantly we’re going right back into this rabbit hole of sex and drugs. Which once again, done in moderation could be fine. But some of these lyrics I feel like have been taken directly from her last album, just altered slightly. I do have to say, the hook on this one remains incredibly catchy and hypnotizing. But I literally feel like way too much of “shedontknowbutsheknows” is being rehashed. I would usually be sort of into this murky beat as well, but I just can’t get into this track completely. Up next is “shivering gold”, and it’s moment like this that I really do wish I was more into this album. Tove’s vocal performance here is commendable, and the more somber tone here that paints her as more of an emotional character is really refreshing. Then the beat drops and quite frankly it’s just ugly. Quickly, “shivering gold” comes right around to once again be nothing but raucous sex and drinking. It’s quite frankly just getting seriously old really quick. The chorus here is just as annoying and obnoxious, and Tove’s performance is spiraling out of control. Every once in a while I do hear a synth tone or two that come off really cool and make me a little more hopeful for the future, but not too much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQDPwODja4
Now, a lot of the tracks here really don’t start off bad at all. On “dont ask dont tell”, Tove’s vocals once again really sound great, and her more personal and much more human lyrics come off refreshing. I wish the instrumental was a little more flushed out on this one, because I don’t really like hearing her on such a minimal beat however. “dont ask dont tell” had some serious potential , because it was pretty nice to hear Tove a little more in the raw and not talking about sex as much. But this one just gets repetitive really quickly and instrumentally really is putting me to sleep. Now, “stranger” does rub me the wrong way from this intro, and really makes me question if this is a Synth Pop record anymore. But I do have to swallow my words rather quickly because let’s be honest, this is easily one of the best beats here. It’s determined, and while yes, some of the production is flashy and glitzy, I love just how over the top this one is. Obviously, the guitars on “stranger” are a bit cheesy, but I don’t mind this one nearly as much. Not to mention, because the last track was much more personal and toned down, her sexy vibe on this one is so much more interesting and comes off as actually steamy. Sadly, “bitches” finishes off this act of the album on a seriously low note. Everything that was sort of sleek and mysterious about the last track is just thrown out for which may be the trashiest tune here. There isn’t anything on this track that we haven’t heard from Tove in the past, except she’s apparently down for being with girls now. Not to mention, Tove just sounds so full of herself and just so proud of how “sexy” she is. It’s not what I’m here to listen to, and it’s just about everything I hate about her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7PzmnGLP3Y
The second act of this album is called “Pitch Black”, and to be honest does show a lot of improvement. The instrumental that starts this off is actually really cool. Like, it’s only 54 seconds so I can’t really dive in too much. But I love just how murky and dark this track is, I want some more of that! Then we have “romantics” featuring Daye. Now, this one is going for much more of an Alternative R&B vibe album, with some really silky vocals all around. Not to mention, that absolutely booming beat is killer and 100% what Tove should be going for. Now, I don’t think this is the classiest tune I’ve heard all year. But between Daye’s smooth verse and this hazy atmosphere, I’m really into a lot of this. It’s moments like this that make me think that Tove really does have a lot to offer. Not to mention, it’s just really refreshing to hear her focusing more on melodies and piecing together an actual Pop tune. “cycles” on the other hand is just plain awkward. The instrumental that she picks on this album, while there are some good ones, there’s also a ton that quite frankly doesn't work for Tove. As a matter of fact, the entire “cycles” track is incredibly awkward. It’s not smooth, and if this is her trying to be edgy and “alternative” she’s doing it mighty wrong. And no, lyrically this certainly doesn’t bring anything new to the table. “cycles” just rubs me all sorts of wrong ways. I do commend her for doing a more personal tune like this and all. But putting a track like this up against a more cloudy atmosphere just sort of makes this one a major waste of my time. But then I hear a track like “struggle” and I have a whole lot nicer things to say. I really do love just how dark and grimy some of these late album tracks come off. Hell, they come off more like some classic Synth Pop or even DarkWave. And while some of the beats here are maybe just a little obnoxious, I do actually love how intense this all is. I don’t know, it just gives this track so much more of a feeling that I can see going with Tove Lo. And while yes, there are certainly still a handful of really awful and trashy lyrics, “struggle” is incredibly tolerable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwUij7E6hmI
So by this point, I really thought like Tove was going in a more mature direction. But sadly, “9th of october” is abysmal. This has the same sort of mature tone to it and all, that really comes off like Tove THINKS this is a much more mature track. But not for the life of me can I take this seriously. This beat is just so sloppy, and some of the effects on Tove’s vocals later in the track are laughable. Moments like this just really bring me down, especially with how much of this garbage she’s thrown at us before. Now, I do like the very dark, almost Gothic atmosphere on “bad days”. In a way, this almost sounds like something that Banks would have come out with. Overall, this track is pretty solid. I really like the pacing on this one, and for the most part, Tove seems to be on her best behavior. The production is sleek, and Tove’s performance is actually interesting sounding. Tracks like “bad days” really make me hope she calms the hell down and does more stuff like this. Hell, I would even really love to hear her in a more dark, Alternative R&B atmosphere. Now, I have been SLIGHTLY more impressed with this second half. But then I see for a finale we have this lovely track title called “hey you got drugs?”. I didn’t expect much from this one. Now, for a track with this title, this is awfully quaint and almost sounds like the adventurous 80’s Pop that Carly Rae Jepsen did on her last album. But let’s be honest, this is incredibly sloppy. The icy beat is just not flattering to Tove, and everything else going on here is awkward. Tove’s priorities as far as what she wants to do with her music just seem so out of whack. Does she want to be the queen of Softcore Pop? Or does she actually want to try and grow up a little? Tove doesn’t know obviously, so how the hell are her fans supposed to?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQDPwODja4
Now, a lot of the tracks here really don’t start off bad at all. On “dont ask dont tell”, Tove’s vocals once again really sound great, and her more personal and much more human lyrics come off refreshing. I wish the instrumental was a little more flushed out on this one, because I don’t really like hearing her on such a minimal beat however. “dont ask dont tell” had some serious potential , because it was pretty nice to hear Tove a little more in the raw and not talking about sex as much. But this one just gets repetitive really quickly and instrumentally really is putting me to sleep. Now, “stranger” does rub me the wrong way from this intro, and really makes me question if this is a Synth Pop record anymore. But I do have to swallow my words rather quickly because let’s be honest, this is easily one of the best beats here. It’s determined, and while yes, some of the production is flashy and glitzy, I love just how over the top this one is. Obviously, the guitars on “stranger” are a bit cheesy, but I don’t mind this one nearly as much. Not to mention, because the last track was much more personal and toned down, her sexy vibe on this one is so much more interesting and comes off as actually steamy. Sadly, “bitches” finishes off this act of the album on a seriously low note. Everything that was sort of sleek and mysterious about the last track is just thrown out for which may be the trashiest tune here. There isn’t anything on this track that we haven’t heard from Tove in the past, except she’s apparently down for being with girls now. Not to mention, Tove just sounds so full of herself and just so proud of how “sexy” she is. It’s not what I’m here to listen to, and it’s just about everything I hate about her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7PzmnGLP3Y
The second act of this album is called “Pitch Black”, and to be honest does show a lot of improvement. The instrumental that starts this off is actually really cool. Like, it’s only 54 seconds so I can’t really dive in too much. But I love just how murky and dark this track is, I want some more of that! Then we have “romantics” featuring Daye. Now, this one is going for much more of an Alternative R&B vibe album, with some really silky vocals all around. Not to mention, that absolutely booming beat is killer and 100% what Tove should be going for. Now, I don’t think this is the classiest tune I’ve heard all year. But between Daye’s smooth verse and this hazy atmosphere, I’m really into a lot of this. It’s moments like this that make me think that Tove really does have a lot to offer. Not to mention, it’s just really refreshing to hear her focusing more on melodies and piecing together an actual Pop tune. “cycles” on the other hand is just plain awkward. The instrumental that she picks on this album, while there are some good ones, there’s also a ton that quite frankly doesn't work for Tove. As a matter of fact, the entire “cycles” track is incredibly awkward. It’s not smooth, and if this is her trying to be edgy and “alternative” she’s doing it mighty wrong. And no, lyrically this certainly doesn’t bring anything new to the table. “cycles” just rubs me all sorts of wrong ways. I do commend her for doing a more personal tune like this and all. But putting a track like this up against a more cloudy atmosphere just sort of makes this one a major waste of my time. But then I hear a track like “struggle” and I have a whole lot nicer things to say. I really do love just how dark and grimy some of these late album tracks come off. Hell, they come off more like some classic Synth Pop or even DarkWave. And while some of the beats here are maybe just a little obnoxious, I do actually love how intense this all is. I don’t know, it just gives this track so much more of a feeling that I can see going with Tove Lo. And while yes, there are certainly still a handful of really awful and trashy lyrics, “struggle” is incredibly tolerable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwUij7E6hmI
So by this point, I really thought like Tove was going in a more mature direction. But sadly, “9th of october” is abysmal. This has the same sort of mature tone to it and all, that really comes off like Tove THINKS this is a much more mature track. But not for the life of me can I take this seriously. This beat is just so sloppy, and some of the effects on Tove’s vocals later in the track are laughable. Moments like this just really bring me down, especially with how much of this garbage she’s thrown at us before. Now, I do like the very dark, almost Gothic atmosphere on “bad days”. In a way, this almost sounds like something that Banks would have come out with. Overall, this track is pretty solid. I really like the pacing on this one, and for the most part, Tove seems to be on her best behavior. The production is sleek, and Tove’s performance is actually interesting sounding. Tracks like “bad days” really make me hope she calms the hell down and does more stuff like this. Hell, I would even really love to hear her in a more dark, Alternative R&B atmosphere. Now, I have been SLIGHTLY more impressed with this second half. But then I see for a finale we have this lovely track title called “hey you got drugs?”. I didn’t expect much from this one. Now, for a track with this title, this is awfully quaint and almost sounds like the adventurous 80’s Pop that Carly Rae Jepsen did on her last album. But let’s be honest, this is incredibly sloppy. The icy beat is just not flattering to Tove, and everything else going on here is awkward. Tove’s priorities as far as what she wants to do with her music just seem so out of whack. Does she want to be the queen of Softcore Pop? Or does she actually want to try and grow up a little? Tove doesn’t know obviously, so how the hell are her fans supposed to?
Rating: 6.4/10
Give A Listen To: “disco tits” (IT GREW ON ME), “stranger”, “romantics”, "struggle"
Genre: Synth Pop / Dance / Electro Pop
Overall Thoughts: Tove Lo remains a Pop Star that really doesn't know what she wants at the end of the day. The first half of the album is a chunk of over-sexualized garbage that we saw on her first few albums, with a few decent tracks here and there. The second half of this album shows Tove attempting to be more mature. But more times than not, her attempt at an honest to God ballad is ruined by some ridiculous drugged out line or a lyric or two about how she needs Sex constantly. There are a handful of decent tunes on here, some of her finest yet I would even say. But I just feel like Tove remains so damn unfocused on what kind of star she wants to be.
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