SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LYKKE LI – SO SAD SO SEXY

Lykke Li
so sad so sexy
RCA Records

Lykke Li’s fourth and 2018 release so sad so sexy plays true to the title. This ten track album is perfect for crying at the club or dancing in slow-motion after a break-up. Though comedic, it is probably the best way to describe this emotional whiplash of an album. With heavy 808 beats and current pop-industry sounds, Lykke Li sings over top with raw lyrics that are not only poetic, but shed light on the modern anxieties of romance. This album is unashamed of being a refection of the time, both through sounds and lyrics.

Though it’s been four years since Lykke Li’s last critically acclaimed album, I Never Learn, it’s obvious that she has busy in the interim. Lykke Li has transformed from indie-pop to more contemporary R&B-pop. The best example being that Aminé (West Coast rapper) makes a surprise appearance, being featured on the track “two nights”. The combination of Aminé’s clever raps and Lykke Li’s sad floating vocals makes a great pairing. This new turn in Lykke Li’s career is exciting, especially at future potential collaborations.

Many of the tracks on the album are shockingly honest with pop sounds that seems to follow suit of many 2018 releases. Similarly to other pop-inspired stars such as The Weeknd, Lorde, Post Malone, and Banks, so sad so sexy places Lykke Li in this new group of melancholic radio jams. Tracks like “last piece” and “better alone” tear at the soul but make the body dance. The final track “utopia” is a crescendo to a cinematic ending with swelling vocals that acts as perfect ending.

Though this album isn’t necessarily life changing, that doesn’t take away from how exciting it is for Lykke Li. Seeing where she will go and how she will tour with this album will be interesting, as well as hopefully working with more artists. Who says “sad” can’t be sexy?

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