IS IT HOT IN HERE OR DID TOVE LO JUST LAUNCH HER ALBUM ‘ESTRUS’?
words by TIANA DE HASETH
We’re ready for some heat! On September 18, Swedish pop singer Tove Lo released her sixth studio album ESTRUS, referring to the stage of sexual receptivity and fertility in female mammals when they are ready to mate. Known for her dance and electroinic-pop genre, Tove Lo certainly never shied away from exploring sexuality, desire and vulnerability in her music. With ESTRUS, she takes us on 13 track journey of desire, transformation and instinct.
In our conversation with Tove Lo ahead of the album’s release, she opened up about the creative process behind ESTRUS. While working in Los Angeles, she found herself struggling to write and connect with the music. It wasn’t until she returned to Sweden that something shifted. Back in Sweden, she felt safe and started feeling all the intensest and conflicting emotions that inspired the album. That transformation became an important part of the album’s creation.
Across these 13 tracks, Tove Lo navigates these complex emotions, some contradict others, some feel intimate and some make you want to dance all night long.
Opening up with the song a lot of feelings, no solutions, Tove Lo shows how she felt when making her album during the starting process. It being only 50 seconds leaves listeners wanting more. Her single i’m your girl right? comes next with sexual energy filled with female empowerment. Sounding different than the opening track, Tove Lo stays true to the electro-pop genre that makes you want to dance. At track 4, French singer Stromae joins Tove Lo for des fleurs, adding more emotion and French sensuality to the album.
F.A.M.T is an emotional hit, that definitely should be a single. It is a song full of raw emotions, yet driving sexual energy. As the album moves to the 10th track are we on a break, it turns into a club classic song that makes you want to move. At the end of the album, Tove Lo admits she still doesn't have any solutions to her conflicts, and that is rawness the album reflects.
Overall, you can feel the emotions and energy Tove Lo put into this record. You feel the state of “estrus” throughout the album, making it perhaps her hottest album yet.
