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| Tove Ebba Elsa Nillson (Tove Lo) |
The impression of Tove Lo I'm getting is that she's a bit of a wild card, but she had humble enough beginnings. Tove Ebba Elsa Nillson is a Swedish singer/songwriter that loved to write short stories and poetry as a young girl. She pursued a love of music at Rytmus Musikergymnasiet, a Swedish music school, until she dropped out to pursue her career. She's actually written songs for a lot of pop acts like Icona Pop, Girls Aloud, and Cher Lloyd.
The reason I call her a wild card is because of the troubling things I've read about her. There's this interview with her, where she talks about the merits and demerits of drug use. She calls them "good fun" but also discusses how it can be good when you're emotionally down and need to get up again. Which is completely mistaken, literally never ever do this. As a lover of alternative music, I understand that drugs play a big part in some artists' creative process. Sometimes, it's the catalyst for a really good song. But the thing with Tove Lo is, she risks her health doing drugs and doesn't even come up with a good enough song to justify it! She wrote this other song called "Not On Drugs" --which I'm pretty sure is a lie--and, if I'm brutally honest, it's terrible.
"Habits (Stay High) isn't all that good either. I don't even understand why it's on the alternative charts! This song is misleadingly eclectic, but in its core, "Habits (Stay High)" is just a pop song. In a pop perspective, this song is tailor made for hipsters who like to pretend their music tastes are unique when really, their taste is the same as every top 40 listener. I enjoy a good pop song every now and then, and I enjoy singing along to this song because it's really catchy, but I hate the message she puts out. What is she saying to impressionable young girls about dealing with their emotions? She's telling them, 'get high, it's alright!' which is completely wrong, as I've said before. Musically, the song is simple as every other pop song. There's that accented electronic drum beat that staggers just like a high Tove Lo in her music video. There's that synth piano from an 80's dream electronic kit. And surprisingly (not really), there's a dramatic pause at the bridge for the buildup to the chorus.
I understand that songs are labeled Alternative because they don't fit into other categories, but come on! This song is just a pop song done in darker shades. It worries me when the music industry can't see past a disguise that is blatantly sub par. And that's what "Habits (Stay High) is. A sub-par ear-worm of a song that you don't want stuck in your head (but eventually, it does get stuck in your head).
Rating: 2 Records (because it's so damn catchy)
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| Photo: bbc.com Information: Wikipedia, popjustice.com |
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