Swedish artist Tove Lo recharges her Dirt Femme persona with ’90s dance-inspired new single, “I like u.” While on her recent Dirt Femme tour, the singer debuted the song, which she co-wrote with frequent collaborator Tim From the House.
The singer transforms a karaoke bar in Los Angeles’ Koreatown into her dance floor with anime-styled makeup. The Moni Haworth-directed video is granular and lonesome, capturing Tove Lo’s self-entertainment, downtime, and CCTV frolics.
The downplayed synths pulse into a bubbly crescendo perfect for the club. “I run into you everywhere, but you push me away. Does it mean you’re still with her? She convinced you to stay,” she sings.
Between the strobe-like autotune and upbeat, shimmery house production, Tove Lo cuts through the sweet chaos .“I know it’s wrong, but I cannot help it. I know it’s wrong, but I cannot take it… I like you. La, la, I like you.”
“I wanted to make another dance song that sonically felt like a nod to 90’s and Y2K dance music,” she said in a press release. “It’s not the usual pop structure but it’s perfect for this song, I think.” For Pride month, Tove Lo will donate a portion of her “I like u” streaming sales to The Trevor Project, which is the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.
“Lyrically I’m telling the story of my thoughts the first time I saw the love of my life. They’re not clean but at least I never said any of them out loud.”
Tove Lo
The track follows February’s dystopic-disco AI love affair single, “Borderline,” co-written by Dua Lipa. Additionally, Tove Lo released Dirt Femme (Stripped), seven tracks capturing the singer at bare beautiful intimacy and vulnerability.
The singer is beginning her Europe and Australia summer tour, later returning to the U.S. for several shows and appearances at Austin City Limits. Her summer tour dates will be supported by UPSAHL, Alma and BLUSHER.
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