Tove Lo is too cool for you.
Or at least that’s what she says.
On Oct. 28, Lo released her second studio album called “Lady Wood,” following her debut album “Queen of the Clouds.” After a successful album, as shown by her songs playing on the radio and ranking of number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200, Lo had a tough act to follow with her next album.
After her song “Talking Body” became a hit, Lo quieted down. Now, she is making a comeback with her new album “Lady Wood” and the first single from the album, “Cool Girl.” However, repeating “I’m a cool girl” over and over again won’t make her cool and hip all of a sudden.
According to Lo, nonetheless, she has a different connotation of what her song “Cool Girl” means. She told Vice News’s music channel, Noisey, that it is about pointing out the “weird power games” that people play in a relationship. In other words, she criticizes the people who don’t trust an emotional connection and try to “put a label on” a relationship. While this is a compelling message, it was not portrayed in the song as the lyrics that were repeated were “I’m a cool girl… I roll my eyes at you, boy.”
Some of the songs on this album had a similar trend: their lyrics were repetitive and the message was hard to understand or follow. One such song is “Don’t Talk About It.” It points out the beauty of life and how people should keep “pushing, pulling ’til we die.” However, what was repeated (not a shocker) was “don’t talk about it” again and again.
Other songs like “True Disaster” and “Keep It Simple” have addictive rhythms, but the lyrics are the same; they both focus on sex. In contrast to other artists, Lo is outright about making her songs about sex and drugs. She doesn’t care about what people have to say. All she cares about is what she wants to say to those who enjoy her music, which I personally admire even though I don’t connect with the lyrics.
I believe that as an alternative artist, such as Lo is, the musical component of the songs is what mainly pops out to people rather than the lyrics. In “Lady Wood,” however, Lo is trying to get a point across rather than just having intriguing beats and rhythms. Some songs failed at doing this while others didn’t. One that definitely has my vote for the best on the album is “Imaginary Friend.” Not only does it have good flow, but it also has good lyrics.
Lo’s fierce; while that didn’t reflect much in through her lyrics, she sings what she feels, ignoring all those who tell her she’s wrong. That alone demands respect and appreciation.
3.5 / 5 stars
