Stars: 2.5/5
Tove Lo brings listeners on her never-ending journey through seduction and temptation as we wonder if we will ever truly learn who she really is? Bold, experimental and at times, heartbreaking, Lo gives us her most vulnerable yet clubby album to date.
“I think you like the way she kissed you better/Maybe I’m mistaken/I think you love the way you looked together,” Lo sings in ‘Mistaken.’
‘Mistaken’ on “Sunshine Kitty,” Lo’s follow-up to 2017’s “Blue Lips (Lady Wood Phase II),” presents a classic case of jealousy and insecurity.
While Blue Lips delivered several club-banging bops, Sunshine Kitty delivers a different kind of strength while cracking open Lo’s heart slowly through club-induced repetition.
The album features several other artists that complement Lo nicely including Kylie Minogue on “Really don’t like u” and Doja Cat on “Equally Lost,” two of my favorite tracks from the album.
“Really don’t like u” is a song I could find myself dancing and crying to simultaneously at a random club. She revisits the theme of jealousy as she sings about her frustration with seeing her ex with another person at a party. I think we’ve all be here at some point or another.
“Equally Lost” declares the unashamed Lo as she engages in experimentation all the while seemingly not understanding what her real identity is, numbing her pain with alcohol and drugs and people.
Another standout on the album is “Bad as the Boys” featuring ALMA. This song, released this summer as a single, is a poppy, fun dance tune and is one of my favorites on the album.
Again, we see Lo showcasing frustration and heartbreak as she states her previous lover left her in way that some men typically have done to her in the past. She sings that she feels used.
“Mateo” boasts Lo’s confidence stating she will never let her ‘Mateo’ go as she puts her entire heart on the line for this mysterious Mateo.
I think the most noticeable takeaway from this “Sunshine Kitty” is that Lo loves to make songs about love and people. She is unafraid to wear her heart on her sleeve, and she wants to have a good time while singing about her most traumatic experiences.
Overall, the album did not fully satisfy my Tove Lo craving, especially after her highly enjoyable album “Blue Lips.” Some tracks are bops and some tracks grew on me more than others, but overall, I do not see myself revisiting the album as a whole too often.