Sweden’s quick rising songbird Tove Ebba Elsa Nilsson or better known by her stage name, Tove Lo, is brilliant when it comes to creating hooks of both lyrical rhythms and melodies that are ‘euro-sensual’ and exciting. Her debut studio album, Queen of the Clouds, screams perfection as far as fans of electropop are concern due to the ample usage of up-tempo tunes.
Released in September 24, 2014 by music label Island Records, it debuted at number six on the Swedish charts and has successfully made onto the Billboard 200 list in the United States at number 14.
In this album, Lo details the different stages of affairs between two hearts in a thematic style of Sex, Love and Pain in 15 different tracks with one special album edit of “Run of Love” and one remix track by record production duo Hippie Sabotage.
There is hardly any song that goes off the mark from what Lo is aiming to achieve when it comes to describing the depth of enigmatic love and treating the album as an open letter to the particluar significant other.
With a tracklist that may or may not express her own emotional relationship accounts of affection, romance and struggles, it is hard to jump from one song to another without listening to it in its default sequence for the story to complete its tale.
She even made a remark that passion is always best experienced in the beginning of a relationship, which is what had inspired the structuring of Queen of the Clouds. A minute into the album and you will be instantly submerged in your own imagination, mapping out the details of each song.
Lyrics on a love that was lost and about passionate exchange of affection can go from being straightforward to being surreptitiously inclined with easy-to-grasp intentions.
The way she puts together words make her seem to be somewhat of a crude. However, in today’s music scene, the line that defines an artist to be labeled as such is blurred and Lo is only guilty at being a free spirited girl.
Lo’s songs have a certain honesty that fans would adore. The whole album tells us that she is not about to keep her thoughts restrained from others. She claims to embrace ‘dirty pop’ and is in no way ready to be sorry about it just yet.
What’s certain is that her message behind each track is indeed believable by the way she conveys it. Lo’s vocals are not distinctive—though on some song she reminds us of another Swedish recording babe, Robyn—but it is strong and convincing.
If you are still not convinced, listen to singles hot off the charts like “Habits” and “Not on Drugs“ or top favourites from the album itself such as “Talking Body” and “Crave”. These few picks will guarantee you to understand why this Stockholm beau is the current dazed and confuse songstress that most can relate to.
Dare to say that this Swedish pop singer and songwriter has what it takes to produce great records in the long run if she remains creative in this note.
