Tove Lo on Her New Album ESTRUS: “I Think This Album Is F—ing Perfect”

Swedish electropop singer Tove Lo’s latest release is Estrus, her sixth album. It comprises 13 tracks in which Tove explores themes she doesn’t try to reconcile.

In Estrus, Tove intensifies the contrast between herself and her music. Euphoria versus melancholy, yearning versus doubt, intimacy versus independence, physical versus mental the tensions that have always characterized her music continue.

“I think this album is fucking perfect. I wrote what I needed to write, not how I wanted to be perceived, and it feels like such an honest reflection of me: sexy, twisted, dark and full of contradictions,” Tove Lo says. “I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me bring it to life, and I feel incredibly lucky that I get to keep making music independently and on my own terms. I hope everyone who listens vibes deeply and sparkly with it, and I’ll keep making music and touring until my tits are in my shoes.”

The lead track for the album is “Source of Life”. This song moves from one state to another – feral, fragile, numb, ecstatic, sad, euphoric. Here, you will find Tove considering the part of her which wants to party all night against the part that wonders if it is the right time to stop and start a family.

Speaking about the album title, Tove Lo says: “Estrus is an animal in heat. It’s primal. It’s my mind and my body wanting different things, wanting everything. It doesn’t contain any advice – just lots of feelings, no solutions.”

Estrus came after Dirt Femme, a period of time when Tove Lo released her own music and became a wife. After this experience, she had many questions, but the lack of answers became the only answer. In “The Bad One,” she makes it clear that “two things can be true.”

Estrus contains contrasts between conflicting desires. The record follows the path of getting drunk, feeling insecure and starting an argument; waking up at 6 am with mascara running and wondering whether any of it was worth it, and going through the whole cycle again. Tove does not step outside the chaos to gain better perspective; she stays inside it.

Creating the album was as chaotic as the themes in the songs. Tove Lo and her longtime collaborator Ludvig Söderberg got drunk and started shouting about everything they were experiencing. This is how the album took shape.

Inspired by The Knife and her native Swedish indie-dance music heritage, Tove Lo recorded the album with Söderberg. Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser joined her in this process. The recording took place in Los Angeles, Stockholm, and a small Swedish fishing village where she used to spend her summer vacations and previously recorded Dirt Femme. Belgian artist Stromae appears on Des Fleurs, the album’s only collaboration.

Previously released tracks from the project are the lead single I’m Your Girl Right? as well as Des Fleurs and DNH.

On Saturday, the Estrus World Tour will see her perform in Brooklyn, New York, at Under The K Bridge, with special guest Cobrah. Before the European part of her tour, Tove performed during the release shows this week in Nashville and Chicago. Mallrat is supporting Tove Lo on her North American tour dates; Rose Gray is joining her in November on her tour through the UK and Europe, the region’s biggest headline shows; and Salty is supporting her Australian tour in 2027.

• 9/19 – Under The K Bridge – Brooklyn, NY Ψ Ω
• 9/23 – Coca-Cola Coliseum – Toronto, ON Ω
• 9/27 – The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA Ω
• 10/01 – Pepsi Center WTC – Mexico City, MX Ω
• 11/05 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK ≈
• 11/07 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK ≈
• 11/09 – De Roma – Antwerp, BE ≈
• 11/10 – L’Olympia – Paris, FR ≈
• 11/12 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL ≈
• 11/14 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, DE ≈
• 11/16 – K.B. Hallen – Copenhagen, DK ≈
• 11/17 – Spektrum – Oslo, NO ≈
• 11/19 – Avicii Arena – Stockholm, SE ≈
• 2/27 – Electric Avenue Festival – Christchurch, NZ ◆
• 3/01 – Fortitude Music Hall – Brisbane, AU ✦
• 3/03 – Margaret Court Arena – Melbourne, AU ✦
• 3/05 – Hordern Pavilion – Sydney, AU ✦
• 3/07 – Ice Cream Factory – Perth, AU ✦

Ω – Mallrat Supporting
≈ – Rose Gray Supporting
Ψ – With Special Guest Cobrah
✦ – Salty Supporting
◆ – Festival Appearance