Dirt Femme by Tove Lo | Album Review
Tove Lo dives into deep territory on her 5th studio album of electo-pop bangers
I put Charli CXC and Tove Lo in a similar trajectory when it comes to how their careers have evolved over time. Both artists debuted with successful pop hits and both artists have honed their sound on subsequent projects. For Ebba Nilsson, who goes by Tove Lo professionally, she has continued to push herself with the dance the pain away persona and sound that she started with. A big game changer for me was 2017’s sexually charged “Disco Tits”. Her follow up, Sunshine Kitty, also caught my ear by its single “sadder badder cooler”. I was curious what her next project would sound like. 2022 brought Tove Lo back with a vengeance as she heavily promoted the singles “No One Dies From Love” and “2 Die 4” heavily on TikTok. I quite enjoyed the songs she teased off the record before it released.
Ebba teased this project with synth pop second single “No One Dies From Love”. The song really blooms by with second chorus when the beat kicks in. Nilsson told Apple Music she wanted to convey the drama of heartbreak with this song:
“‘No One Dies From Love’ was inspired by overwhelming emotions post-breakup. When you’re with someone for a long time and it ends all of all sudden, it’s like a part of you has died. This person is now a stranger to you. All of the memories are tainted. For the first part of the breakup, you believe you’re not supposed to feel good about anything you had together. What I believe I do best is ‘heartbreak you can dance to’. The song is that.”
There us a lot of pain surrounding her feelings of loss and responsibility for the death of this relationship, “I tried my best with you, you claim the same/ Somehow, we’re strangers, but share this pain/ Keep writin’ letters I’ll never send/ Don’t want you movin’ on when it’s my end.” She does a fantastic job crafting a pop song you can dance the tears away to. It’s a great way to start off this album.
“Suburbia” takes on her perspective on marriage and her fears around it. Nilsson dives deeper into the themes on this track in her Apple Music interview:
“It’s about never wanting marriage, not wanting children, and not feeling like that’s a life that I want. But then like, ‘What if I do?’ All of my friends around me have kids — babies are adorable and I’m so happy for my friends — but whenever I say ‘I still don’t know if I want kids,’ they take it so personally and get really offended by me saying that. Having a kid is a personal choice, isn’t it? When you live in a very woke bubble that I’m in with my friends who live very different lives, it’s not a big deal. But as soon as I move slightly outside of that, there’s a judgment cloud if you choose not to have children.”
Her trademark moody synth-pop sound adds to the weight of uncertainty around the traditional viewpoints on marriage. She pours out a lot of her trepidations arounds having children, “Just let me talk this through/ So if we had a baby/ You’d love them more than me?/ What if I’m way too lazy/ For the mom Olympic team? (Ah)/ Will we still be romantic?” It’s an honest take for those of us who have chosen child-less lives with our partners.
Ebba did a fantastic job promoting “2 Die 4” through various TikTok campaigns. The main sonic hook is sampled from the obscure 1972 Popcorn track “Hot Butter”. Nilsson is able to transform this into a complete earworm here. Ebba told Apple Music the following about the writing process for this track:
“With ‘2 Die 4’ I wanted ‘instantly iconic’ energy. I’ve never sampled anything before, and this feels like the perfect first moment. Lyrically I wanted it to be that ‘pick me up when I’m feeling down’ song. At first, it’s like a warm hug, then you shake it off, let out a scream and start dancing!”
I really love way she is able to transform this sample into something extremely catchy. The mix of euphoric lyrics around the attraction she has for this person works wonderfully with the sound of the track. I consistently find myself humming this song after listening to it (a sign of a great earworm).
“True Romance” hangs in the air with its slow churning synth line and pulsing beat. Nilsson sounds wonderful under this wash of sound, however I feel this song drags a bit. As it stands, it feels too static. Ebba told Apple Music the following around the written process for this track:
“I made “True Romance” together with my roommate Tim From The House. We both had a need to write something different and dramatic. It took me three days to get the lyrics right but I recorded it in one take. The lyrics are based on the movie True Romance, destructive cinematic love at its best and worst. We shot this scene for it in one take in the desert earlier this year. Kenny Laubbacher has always captured the emotional journey of the song perfectly in this scene.”
This is your “ride or die” kind of love that Nilsson sings on. I appreciate the drama that she brings lyrically, however this is one of the few tracks that feels a bit forgettable to me.
One of the most emotionally raw songs on the album comes with the transparency Nilsson gives around her history with an eating disorder on “Grapefruit”. Ebba told Apple Music the following around the subject matter of the song:
“Up until now, I’ve never really been up front about the fact that I had a severe eating disorder when I was a teenager. I did a movie in Sweden, and had to lose some weight for it — nothing extreme, maybe four or five kilos, but I had to lose it in two weeks. I went on a diet for the first time in 10 years and it triggered so many memories — the obsession, the anxiety, being hungry all the time. All these memories flooded back and I was like, ‘Can I do this without falling back into old patterns?’ In the end, I did it and it was fine. To me, it felt like validation that I’d healed. So I started writing about that.”
Her opening lines paint a very raw image of a woman fighting with bulimia, “Countin’ while I run the tap/ I’m on my knees/ Chokin’ on my hands all night/ In my sleep/ Counting all the calories/ Now get ’em up/ Body positivity/ Help me out.” The allusions to Princess Diana’s struggles with bulimia and the various dieting fades (for which the song is titled) add a sense of urgency to this struggle that she once fought to break. The production gives a frantic energy that adds to weight behind her words.
“Cute & Cruel” has a milky quality brought on by the acoustic guitar, flutes, and the addition of Swedish alternative duo First Aid Kit. This track absolutely glows. There is just enough layers of sound to keep the song interesting throughout. The song details the duality of joy and danger that loving someone can bring. I really airy quality that Ebba and First Aid Kit bring. It’s one of my favorites off this album.
Nilsson goes in a much more electro-pop route on “Call On Me”. I love the very spacey synths and driving beat that brings to mind the neon glow of the 80s. This is yet another highlight for me off this project. This electric sound works well to play into the sexually charged atmosphere between Tove Lo and the person she’s lusting after. It’s made for a dancefloor where you can release your inhibitions.
“Attention Whore” has a bit of darker edge to it. I really like Channel Tres’s monotone take on her verse. Against the glitchy synth tones it gives just the right amount of attitude to really sell the vibe. There’s a palpable jealousy that Ebba pours out, “I, I mind (I mind)/ When she looks at you in the way you look at me, yeah/ Why? Oh, why? (Oh, why? Why? Oh, why?)/ Do you look at her in the way you look at me?” Her insecurities have her putting her foot down. Ebba told Apple Music the following about the themes of this song:
“I wrote this track at four in the morning after having a silly drunk argument with my husband. I don’t even remember what it was about. He was probably just being his great self, but sometimes when I’m drunk I just decide to get mad like an idiot. You know when you’re just feeling jealous and sassy and maybe a little bitchy? That’s the essence of this song. I’d just seen Channel Tres live at a festival and was floored by his performance — it was sexy and cool and full of attitude. I knew he’d be perfect for this track”
Although the song doesn’t stand out as much as some of the others, I like the overall vibe of the track.
We go a more sexual route on “Pineapple Slice”. The title is a reference to the myth that pineapple makes your genitals, and the fluids associated with them, sweeter for your partner. Nilsson’s chorus lets you know she’s ready for you go down, “I lift my hips, that’s your go-ahead/ Now wrap your lips ‘round me in my bed/ I prepared for tonight/ Ate a pineapple slice for you.” The hazy club sound that the electro-pop backing gives the song works well with the come hither tone Ebba brings to the table.
The only real ballad on this album comes in on “I’m to Blame”. The use of piano, synth strings, and acoustic guitar is change from the songs that came before. The addition of some of the electronic elements further into this song really don’t work for me. These elements add the appropriate drama to Nilsson’s ache how her coldness as broken her relationship and her fleeting hopes that it can be salvaged. This is a song that has grown on me more and more with each listen.
“Kick in the Head” is a fun change of pace. The post-chorus “Mmmmm…” has really grown on me along side the funky production. The mix of spoken and sung sections also bring the energy I am used to from prior Tove Lo projects. This is Ebba’s cry to snap out of depression and move forward. Her hope is the object of her affections will help to pull her from this spiral. I love the spoken chorus.
The final song (and first single), “How Long”, ends the album with the same moody energy we started with. I really love everything comes together in the chorus. We have made a 180 from Nilsson mourning her side of tearing a relationship apart into her anguish over her partner’s infidelity, “How, how long have you loved another/ While I’m dreamin’ of us together?/ She got the best of you/ Part of me always knew.” It’s a fantastic way to rap up the album.
I really enjoyed this project from start to finish. Tove Lo’s themes of heartbreak, sex and partying continue throughout this album while adding numerous personal moments into the mix. I appreciate her openness on “Grapefruit” where she speaks to the pain of dealing with an eating disorder. There are also a lot of great bangers on this album. She has recently released a Stripped version of the album that brings an entirely different energy to several of the tracks off of this album. If you’re a fan of modern pop music I think you’ll really enjoy this album. My overall thoughts on Dirt Femme:
Loved it: “No One Dies From Love”, “2 Die 4”, “Grapefruit”,“Cute & Cruel” (feat. First Aid Kit), “Call On Me” (with SG Lewis), “Pineapple Slice” & “How Long”
Liked it: “Suburbia”, “True Romance”, “Attention Whore” (feat. Channel Tres), “Kick in the Head”
Disliked it: “I’m to Blame”
My overall rating: 7.0 out of 10.
