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Blue Lips (Tove Lo album)

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Blue Lips
White is replaced by red in a photo negative; a decorated hand squeezes a woman's bare left buttock.
Studio album by
Tove Lo
Released17 November 2017 (2017-11-17)
RecordedOctober 2016 – July 2017
Genre
Length44:24
LabelIsland
Producer
Tove Lo chronology
Lady Wood
(2016) 		Blue Lips
(2017) 		Sunshine Kitty
(2019)
Alternative cover
A woman's hands clasp a beer bottle; her legs are covered in black fishnet and her torso is covered in black leather and shiny stars.
2018 vinyl reissue with Lady Wood
Singles from Blue Lips
  1. "Disco Tits"
    Released: 7 September 2017
  2. "Bitches"
    Released: 7 June 2018

Blue Lips[a] is the third studio album by Swedish singer Tove Lo. It was released on 17 November 2017 by Island Records.[1] Blue Lips is considered the second half of a two-piece concept album that describe "highs, lows and ultimate demise of a relationship."[2] Its chapters "Light Beams" and "Pitch Black" succeed the chapters "Fairy Dust" and "Fire Fade" from her previous album Lady Wood (2016).[3]

In addition to the return of songwriter-producers such as the Struts, Ali Payami and Joe Janiak, the album features new collaborations with Alex Hope and Lulou, among others. Daye Jack is the only featured artist on the album. Musically, the album has been described as "sharply conceived dance-pop"[4] and it is noted to follow the "hypnotizing electro-pop vein" of the preceding album that also features hip-hop and trap-influenced production.[5][6]

A short film of the same name was released on 19 October 2018 to accompany the album.[7]

Background and recording

[edit]

Tove Lo's previous album, Lady Wood, was released on 28 October 2016 to positive critical reviews and fair commercial success, with it eventually becoming her highest-charting album in the United States to date. In press interviews in support of the album's release, Tove Lo alluded to another album of thematically similar material slated for release the following year that was tentatively titled Lady Wood: Phase II.[8] In early 2017, Tove Lo began the Lady Wood Tour in further support of the album, and during press interviews she said she was working on new material to be included with the portion that was already recorded during the Lady Wood sessions.[9] She explained to Billboard, "There's a lot of songs that I wanted on [Lady Wood], but I didn't want to cram in 20 songs... so I decided to divide it into a double album, and release the second half a little bit later on".[10]

The Blue Lips track "Bitches", originally titled "What I Want for the Night (Bitches)", was previewed through Tove Lo's short film Fairy Dust in October 2016[11] and a live version was released through Spotify in November 2016.[12] Tove Lo also previewed the track "Struggle" (then titled "The Struggle") during her performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2017.[13]

During the months leading up to the album's release, Tove Lo said that thematically Blue Lips would be a "dramatic" and "highly emotional" sister to Lady Wood,[14] and it would have two contrasting chapters: "Light Beams" and "Pitch Black".[2] The album's official title was announced in conjunction with its lead single "Disco Tits" on 7 September 2017.[15] The album's artwork was released on Tove Lo's social media on 31 October 2017.

Release

[edit]

Tove Lo began teasing the release of her third studio album since the release of Lady Wood in 2016. During January 2017, she suggested that the album would be released in the spring of that year,[16] but on 31 October 2017 she confirmed that Blue Lips would be officially released on 17 November 2017.[17] On the night of the album's release, Tove Lo hosted a release party concert at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, New York City.[18]

Singles

[edit]

The lead single "Disco Tits" was released on 7 September 2017.[15] It reached number 55 in Tove Lo's native Sweden, and topped the US Dance Club Songs Chart.[19][20]

Tove Lo announced a remix of "Bitches" featuring Charli XCX, Icona Pop, Elliphant and Alma as the second single from Blue Lips.[21] It was released on 7 June 2018.[22]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[23]
Metacritic74/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
DIY[26]
Financial Times[4]
Metro[27]
The Observer[28]
Pitchfork7.1/10[6]
Renowned for Sound[29]
Rolling Stone[30]

Blue Lips received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 74 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]

Frank Guan of Vulture called Blue Lips "the best album of her career" and said that "it's indisputable that the tracks on Blue Lips hit harder than their predecessors".[31] Will Hermes, in his short review of the album for Rolling Stone, stated "Like much of Tove Lo's work, it's admirably uncensored, but may leave you craving a shower, however close to home it lands."[32] Cameron Cook of Pitchfork noted that "Blue Lips is not a straight-up disco record, but Lo uses that genre's soft focus sheen to recall an era grown from the sexual liberation of the '60s, while sheltered from the excesses of the '80s". He praised the "Light Beams" section of the album but criticized "Romantics", stating that "'Romantics', with its trendy trap beats and distorted vocals, pale slightly next to the wild ride of the album's first half."

Year-end lists

[edit]
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Melty Best Pop Albums of the Year
7
[33]
Rolling Stone 20 Best Pop Albums of 2017 13 [34]

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[35] and Tidal[36]

Blue Lips[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Light Beams"
  • Tove Lo
  • Ludvig Söderberg
  • Jakob Jerlström
The Struts1:07
2."Disco Tits"
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
The Struts3:43
3."Shedontknowbutsheknows"
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
The Struts3:16
4."Shivering Gold"
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
3:35
5."Don't Ask Don't Tell"
Payami3:46
6."Stranger"
  • Lo
  • Payami
  • Niklas Ljungfelt
Payami3:54
7."Bitches"
  • Lo
  • Payami
Payami2:17
8."Pitch Black"
0:53
9."Romantics" (featuring Daye Jack)
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
  • Loules
  • Gustmann
  • Daye Jack
  • Lulou
  • Gustmann
3:31
10."Cycles"
The Struts3:28
11."Struggle"
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
The Struts3:46
12."9th of October"
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
The Struts3:25
13."Bad Days"
  • Lo
  • Gustav Weber Vernet
Vernet3:26
14."Hey You Got Drugs?"
Hope4:18
Total length:44:24
Lady Wood and Blue Lips – Deluxe vinyl exclusive 10-inch picture disc[38]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cool Girl" (Timbaland remix)
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
 
2."WTF Love Is" (Karma Fields remix)
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
  • The Struts
  • Karma Fields[a]
 
3."Cycles" (MK remix)
  • Lo
  • Söderberg
  • Jerlström
  • Janiak
  • The Struts
  • MK[a]
 
4."Bitches" (featuring Charli XCX, Icona Pop, Elliphant, and Alma)
Payami 

Notes

[edit]
  • ^[a] signifies a remixer
  • "Light Beams" and "Pitch Black" are stylised in all caps, while all other track titles are stylised in all lowercase.[25]
  • "Don't Ask Don't Tell" is stylised as "dont ask dont tell".[25]
  • "Disco Tits" features additional vocals by Fat Max Gsus.[36]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[39] 78
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[40] 86
French Digital Albums (SNEP)[41] 61
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[42] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] 39
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[44] 15
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[45] 71
US Billboard 200[46] 138

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 17 November 2017
Island [47]
17 December 2018 LP (with Lady Wood) [38]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The title is sometimes subtitled as Blue Lips (Lady Wood Phase II) and stylised as BLUE LIPS [lady wood phase II].

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (5 October 2017). "Watch Tove Lo's Sexy Road Trip With a Puppet in 'Disco Tits' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b Feeny, Nolan (31 October 2016). "Tove Lo's Lady Wood short film previews new music". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  3. ^ Spanos, Brittany (14 October 2016). "Tove Lo on Going to Extremes: 'I'm Never as Happy as When I Lose Control'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (17 November 2017). "Tove Lo: Blue Lips — hedonistic abandon, moody reflection". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  5. ^ Viswanath, Jake (17 November 2017). "Tove Lo's New Album 'Blue Lips' Is An Uncensored Sequel to 'Lady Wood'". V. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b Cook, Cameron (29 November 2017). "Tove Lo: Blue Lips". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  7. ^ Lo, Tove [@ToveLo] (10 October 2018). ""You like everyone" 💔 #BlueLips Oct 19th" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Ryan, Patrick (28 October 2016). "Swedish singer Tove Lo: 'Don't tell me what I can't say'". USA Today. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  9. ^ Gracie, Bianca (5 June 2017). "Governors Ball 2017: Tove Lo Talks 'Lady Wood' Album Sequel & Being Proud of Your Vagina". Fuse. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Pop Shop Podcast: Tove Lo Talks 'Emotional Rollercoaster' That Led to Her New Album 'Blue Lips'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. ^ Feeney, Nolan (31 October 2016). "Tove Lo's Lady Wood short film previews new music". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Spotify Singles by Tove Lo on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  13. ^ Rettig, James (17 April 2017). "Watch Tove Lo Debut New Song "The Struggle" At Coachella". Stereogum. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  14. ^ Ward, Kat (24 April 2017). "Swedish Pop Star Tove Lo on Rocking Coachella, Her Dream Collabs, and Flashing Her Fans". Paper. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  15. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (7 September 2017). "Tove Lo – "Disco Tits"". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Tove Lo is the no-holds-barred pop misfit we need right now". Time Out New York. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  17. ^ "BLUE LIPS [lady wood phase II] will be out nov 17. can't wait to share with you". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  18. ^ "#BLUELIPS release party Nov 17 @elsewherespace in BKLYN. Can't wait to enter into the phase II era with my NY babes. Tickets on sale now, see you on the dance floor on Friday". Twitter. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Tove Lo Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  21. ^ Trendell, Andrew (7 June 2018). "Tove Lo unveils NSFW video for new remix of 'Bitches' featuring Charli XCX, ALMA, Icona Pop and Elliphant". NME. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  22. ^ "bitches – Single by Tove Lo, Charli XCX, Icona Pop, Elliphant & ALMA". Apple Music. Australia. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Blue Lips by Tove Lo reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Reviews for Blue Lips by Tove Lo". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  25. ^ a b c Blue Lips at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  26. ^ Kheraj, Alim (17 November 2017). "Tove Lo – Blue Lips". DIY. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  27. ^ Dawson, Amy (23 November 2017). "Review: Tove Lo". Metro. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  28. ^ Joshi, Tara (19 November 2017). "Tove Lo: Blue Lips review – clubwise and candid". The Observer. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  29. ^ Scarsbrook, Rachael (24 November 2017). "Album Review: Tove Lo – BLUE LIPS (ladywood phase II)". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  30. ^ Hermes, Will (20 November 2017). "Review: Tove Lo Continues Dark Lust Saga on 'Blue Lips'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  31. ^ Guan, Frank (17 November 2017). "Tove Lo's Blue Lips Is the Best Album of Her Career". Vulture. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  32. ^ Hermes, Will (20 November 2017). "Review: Tove Lo Continues Dark Lust Saga on 'Blue Lips'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  33. ^ Rajona, Wyzman (20 December 2017). "Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... Les meilleurs albums pop de l'année" [Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... The best pop albums of the year] (in French). Melty. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  34. ^ Spanos, Brittany; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Johnston, Maura; Levy, Joe; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (12 December 2017). "20 Best Pop Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  35. ^ Blue Lips (booklet). Island Records. 2017.
  36. ^ a b "Blue Lips". Tidal. 2017.
  37. ^ "Tove Lo Confirms 11/17 Release Date For 'Blue Lips' LP". BroadwayWorld. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  38. ^ a b "Lady Wood and Blue Lips Deluxe Vinyl LP". Sandbag Limited. 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  39. ^ "Tove Lo Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  40. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tove Lo – Blue Lips %5BLady Wood Phase II%5D" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Téléchargés (2017 – Semaine du 01 Décembre)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  42. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  43. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tove Lo – Blue Lips %5BLady Wood Phase II%5D". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  44. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tove Lo – Blue Lips %5BLady Wood Phase II%5D". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  45. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  46. ^ "Tove Lo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  47. ^ "BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II) by Tove Lo on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
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