Breakout bad girl Tove Lo is back on her second LP âLady Wood.â
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 âQueen of the Clouds:â singles. âHabits (Stay High)â and âTalking Bodyâ off of her debut album. She also collaborated with Nick Jonas on the duet âCloseâ which hit the soundwaves over the summer. Â
With an explicit cover image and vulgar lyrics, Tove Loâs latest album contains only four âcleanâ 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.
âLady Woodâ seems like a continuation of âQueen of the Clouds,â 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.
âOnce again, itâs very personal,â Tove Lo said in an interview with Fuse. âYou know, you have your whole life to write your first record, but I had two years to write this one â so, everything Iâve been through, the arm-pinching, crazy new experiences. A lot of emotions.â
Lead single âCool Girlâ revisits âQueen of the Clouds.â Starting off slowly, âCool Girlâ 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 Loâs earlier album.
The two instrumental interlude songs, âFairy Dust (Chapter I)â and âFire Fade (Chapter II)â 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 albumâs title track, âLady Wood,â 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.
âImaginary Friend,â one of the few clean tracks on the album, is filled with angst and heartbreaking lyrics. âCrushing my heart, tear me apart/ Hate on this world âcause reality sucksâ are the opening lyrics to the songâs 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, âLady Woodâ is worth the listen. Tove Lo may be crude and dark, but that is what sets her album apart from other pop artists.






