Tove Lo Is '2 Die 4'
Music

Tove Lo Is '2 Die 4'

by Kenna McCafferty

Tove Lo is back with a vengeance.

She may have made her name as an indie sleaze trailblazer, but with each taste of her forthcoming album, DIRT FEMME (October 14, Pretty Swede Records/mtheory), Tove Lo gives us something new to chew on. The visual for her last single, “2 Die 4,” recalls her early party girl days through a distinct artistic lens.

The video, directed by Anna-Lisa Himma, takes the best parts of Y2K to the extreme. In blue, green and pink hues, Tove Lo resurrects the Europop club scene that brought her fame in the early 2010s. “2 Die 4” is all the best bits of the early 2000s club scene, and less of the mess. It is calculated chaos.

The visual makes a splash with polished choreography, high-glam looks and lots and lots of wet t-shirts. Tove Lo’s entourage gets wet and wild in a giant pool a la Le Bain, leaving sequins and sweat in their wake.

"We wanted to make a pop bitch Y2K experience,” Tove Lo said in a statement about the video. “With all the choreo, the outfits, the wetness. I think we more than delivered.”

Tove Lo understood the assignment. Playing up the camp elements of Euro party scenes by cosplaying as a garnish in a giant martini glass, and elevating tropes of the genre by transforming strobes into moody spotlights, “2 Die 4” brings Y2K to 2022.

“2 Die 4” doesn’t simply glamorize and replicate the past — as Y2K nostalgia often falls victim to — but creates new icons from timeless relics. Noting the sample of Hot Butter’s 1972 classic “Popcorn” which became a club anthem in the early 2000s with a techno remix, Tove Lo speaks to the legacy of her newest work.

“With ‘2 Die 4’ I wanted ‘instantly iconic’ energy. I've never sampled anything before, and this feels like the perfect first moment. Lyrically I wanted it to be that ‘pick me up when I'm feeling down’ song. At first, it's like a warm hug, then you shake it off, let out a scream and start dancing!”

This visual did leave us doing all of the above. “2 Die 4” follows “True Romance” and “No One Dies From Love” as the newest single off of DIRT FEMME. Each adds a layer of nuance, and maturity to her sound. As Tove Lo enters the latest chapter in her career, she stays true to the grit and authenticity that captured fans back in 2014 with “Habits (Stay High)” while layering a new artistic perspective that delivers glam, camp, and, above all else, wetness.

DIRT FEMME will be released October 14 with 12 tracks, and features Channel Tres, SG Lewis and 2014 Tumblr girl favorite First Aid Kit.

Stream “2 Die 4” here and watch the video below.

Photo courtesy of Moni Haworth