The Fat Angel Sings

It takes a second listen to realize that Tove Lo is a tortured soul. And if not that, she at least has a knack for hitting listeners right in the gut. Hidden behind a thick veil of club-ready beats and effects lie the Swedish songstress’ fears and narratives of dissolved relationships.

Before she broke out with Truth Serum and earworm single “Habits (Stay High)”, Tove Lo worked as a songwriter for contemporaries such as Icona Pop. She then pursued a solo career to support songs that were too personal.

And while Lo’s material is musically uplifting, there’s something that leaves you feeling depressed: her stories. Even her more positive lyrics, like “Baby listen please, I’m not on drugs, I’m not on drugs, I’m just in love,” are touched with a tinge of sadness. Lo’s killer, though, is “Habits (Stay High)”, where she self-medicates with drugs, sex and alcohol to distract – not even heal – her broken heart: “Spend my days locked in a haze/ Trying to forget you babe/ I fall back down… Gotta stay high.” Listen to Queen of the Clouds without getting bummed out

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Another artist making such an upward crawl is Tove Nilsson, a 26-year-old Swedish singer and songwriter who goes by the name of Tove Lo. Her résumé includes writing credits for artists like Cher Lloyd and Lea Michele from “Glee”, and she’s firmly rooted in Sweden’s current network of pop characters. In high school, she played music with Caroline Hjelt of Icona Pop (for whom she’s also written songs); she’s linked with Max Martin and production duo the Struts. After listening to her music—bruised, brightly arranged pop songs that feel grand but not excessive—it should come as no surprise that she graduated from Stockholm’s Rytmus music school, the place where Robyn was trained.