I am a huge fan of music, and I love discovering new music. Back in August, when I heard Tove Lo’s new song “Cool Girl” for the first time, I knew her next album would be right up my alley. I was absolutely right. For the weekend I spent in the tractor, and every time I’ve studied this week, I’ve been playing Lady Wood, an album that is part one of two concept albums about chasing highs. Lady Wood itself is also broken into two parts: the first of which captures riding the high while the second discusses crashing and the feeling afterwards.
Each song of Lady Wood tells a story that plays into the overall theme of the album. Although there isn’t much of a pace variety within the album, there are definitely highs and lows of the album portrayed through lyrics and the strengthens of the beat. “Cool Girl” sets the high for the album with an incredibly infectious beat that stays strong and heavy throughout the song, while other songs such as “Imaginary Friend” and “Vibes” show off how well Tove Lo can fuse smooth melodies and rich beats together to create deep, lavish songs. More mellow songs such as “Influence” still contain a beat that allows it to be an enjoyable song to jam out to, and it keeps me coming back for more of that deeper, richer taste every day that Lady Wood has instilled in its bones.
What makes Lady Wood so great is how the songs blend so well together, and in turn how the album can cover a wide variety of moods. Whether I’m in the mood to jam out, or just want music playing in the background, Lady Wood is amazing for both. My only complaint with the album is that it seems too short, so I’m glad a sequel is coming within the next year. Otherwise, Lady Wood is a solid contender for album of the year in my mind.
Although every song on Lady Wood isn’t my favorite song ever, I still enjoy every single song on the Tove Lo’s sophomore album. Tove Lo does an amazing job at keeping the same vibe throughout the whole album, but every song is distinct and has insanely catchy hooks. Every day I find myself singing a different song from Lady Wood. When I learned Tove Lo has a sequel to Lady Wood planned for 2017 I was instantly excited, because that means I’ll be getting more amazing synthetic, rich beats with ridiculously catchy melodies.
