Tove Lo - “Dirt Femme” Album Review

Story posted October 19, 2022 in Arts & Entertainment by Rachel Fisher.

Tove Lo is back with her first album as an independent artist and married woman. Similarly to her first album, she wrote most of these songs alone in her bedroom and gave herself enough time to create a work of art that represents her journey of expression, facing her vulnerabilities, and defining her femininity.

Lo has been teasing and promoting the album for over a year now, and her hard work finally paid off.

Lo starts out the album relatively strongly, as she sings about processing strong emotions of love, and then shifts to discussing her insecurities within a loving relationship on the second song, “Suburbia.”

She sings about never having wanted marriage or babies, but how being open to the idea unlocked fears of not being good enough, and how she faces the social pressure of not wanting what she is “supposed” to want.

Lo continues to deliver catchy and unique beats and samples a specific well-known instrumental from “Popcorn” by Hot Butter in her song “2 Die 4,” pairing the synths with energizing lyrics.

The next song, “True Romance,” is slower and sung heartfeltly by Lo and she delivers beautifully sounding vocals. “Cute and Cruel” is also a little softer and delves more into the aspects of romance. The lyric, “Love can forgive a lot, it’s why we go on at all” is particularly powerful and expresses why exactly people stay in toxic relationships.

She contrasts this dynamic in the remainder of the album as she really ups the intensity with songs people will want to dance to.  The catchiest of all is definitely “Call on Me,” which is more electric and features Lo singing her heart out.

Lo also made sure to include features- some as producers and some singing on the track.  Channel Tres who was featured on “Attention Wh*re,” did a great job rapping as well as mixing his voice with Lo’s in the choruses.

This is an album that keeps getting better as it goes on, as it finishes super strong with the last four songs.

“Pineapple Slice” has a more modern pop feel to it with an enticing beat and sexually insinuating lyrics that feel more on brand for Lo. This song also features a collaboration with SG Lewis, who was the one behind pushing her to make the lyrics dirtier.

“I’m to Blame” is a little slower but delivers robust vocals with addictive verses, and “Kick In The Head,” as the second-to-last song, features an incredibly catchy beat and charming and powerful vocals, especially during the pre-chorus.

To end it all, “How Long” is the final song, which was first released in January of 2022, and became popular from being on the TV show “Euphoria.” This song vigorously concludes the album with more expressions of love and betrayal and a distinctive instrumental.

Overall,  Lo certainly delivered with this album and gave her fans what they wanted, while it also being something she proudly feels represents her. She beautifully incorporates expressions of emotions in an alternative pop style.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Call on Me,” “Kick In The Head,” and “How Long”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “Grapefruit” and “No One Dies From Love”

Rachel Fisher is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism.  To contact her, email
rlf5481@psu.edu