Swedish singer/songwriter
Tove Lo followed her hit single "Habits (Stay High)" -- a disarmingly vulnerable recounting of all the shocking things she does to numb a painful breakup -- with
Queen of the Clouds, a debut album that falls somewhere between
Icona Pop's sugar rush hedonism and
Sia's moody confessions. A good friend of
Icona Pop's
Caroline Hjelt (and co-writer of the group's "Ready for the Weekend"), like
Sia,
Tove originally thought she'd have a better chance at a pop career by penning songs for others than in the spotlight herself. However, her songwriting background ensures that
Queen of the Clouds has plenty of hooks, as well as a high-concept approach: she organizes pop's eternal concerns of lust, love, and heartbreak into a set of songs that breaks the span of an entire relationship into thirds. While the spoken-word snippets that introduce each part of the album aren't strictly necessary, the format gives
Queen of the Clouds more emotional resonance and balance as it spans seize-the-moment highs such as the fizzy,
P!nk-esque "Timebomb," the openness of "The Way That I Am," and the loss of "Thousand Miles."
Tove also proves her electro-pop has a similar range with songs that range from bouncy ("Not on Drugs") to sleek (the EDM moves of "Run on Love"). However, it's
Tove's frankness that makes her truly distinctive. "Habits (Stay High)," with its tales of going to sex clubs and gorging on Twinkies, is still
Queen of the Clouds' standout, although "Moments," where she admits "On the good days I am charming as f*ck," is a close second. By owning her mistakes, she turns them into strengths -- and delivers a winning first album in the process. ~ Heather Phares