It has been nearly three years since Tove Styrke released her brilliantly delicious third studio album, Sway. Despite the massive wave of Scandi pop females out at the time, Styrke managed to stand out and deliver a classic body of work that still holds up today. After completing a whopping seven tours and being hard at work in the studio, Styrke is finally giving fans new music.
Styrke’s new single, “Mood Swings,” is certainly no subtle comeback but definitely one we deserve. Not even 10 seconds in and she is here to tell listeners about her bold personality: “I’m a mess, I’m a wreck, I’m a savage / But you keep coming back for this bad bitch.” For long-time fans, this isn’t the first time they’ve heard the Swedish-born star being candid about her character, as in her 2014 single “Borderline,” Styrke sang about her self-identity and wanting to tear down the hierarchy.
Sonically, “Mood Swings” is very R&B driven, while lyrically, the song is totally unapologetic. Directed by Gustav Stegfors, its music video to accompany the track helps bring everything more to life even more as Styrke portrays the different sides to her persona by embodying various outfits and characters.
“It’s my idea and creative concept and I’ve really tried my hardest to portray these characters in a respectful and loving way. I love them. People are more complex than we allow them to be, and as different as these characters look on the outside, as much variation can be found inside one person,” Stryke revealed about the video.
Even though fans have been itching for new music, Styrke explains she has been through a lot these past three years and the new single reflects on that. “‘Mood swings’ is insane. It’s paying tribute to my best and worst sides. I really hate myself sometimes. But I’m trying really hard not to. These past three years I’ve been through depression, fell hard in love, survived a Swedish music reality TV show, I got a car, I got stuck with millennial blues, I feel like an adult sometimes, I feel like I did as a child. I feel kinda free,” she said in her press release.
“Mood Swings” is a taste of a new era from the pop princess, something she admits she’s not even ready for. “This new project is musically like a fun puke! It’s all over the place, every song tells a story on its own and has its own mood. I got epic love songs that sound like the ’60s next to tracks like ‘Mood Swings’ and crazy bangers. I’M not even ready. I’m obsessed with it.”
