| Hard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 June 2022 | |||
| Length | 30:47 | |||
| Label | Sony Music | |||
| Tove Styrke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hard | ||||
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Hard (stylised in all caps) is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Tove Styrke. It was released on 3 June 2022 by Sony Music.
| Hard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 June 2022 | |||
| Length | 30:47 | |||
| Label | Sony Music | |||
| Tove Styrke chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Hard | ||||
| ||||
Hard (stylised in all caps) is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Tove Styrke. It was released on 3 June 2022 by Sony Music.
"Start Walking" was released as the album's lead single on 22 October 2021. [1] The second single "Show Me Love" followed on 21 January 2022. [2] "Hardcore" was released as the third single on 11 March 2022, [3] and "YouYouYou" was released as the fourth single on 6 May 2022. [4]
Hard was released on 3 June 2022. [5] Originally released with nine tracks, the album's track listing was updated twice: "Cool Me Down" was added on 10 June 2022 and "Another Broken Heart" on 2 September 2022. [6] [7] The latter was sent to radio on 9 September 2022. [8]
Hard received generally positive reviews by music critics. Stephen Daw of Billboard regarded the album "stunning", writing that Styrke "exudes confidence and pure pop bliss". [9] Dave Russell of The Line of Best Fit praised Styrke's vocal performance throughout the record. He wrote, "Hard isn't perfect – and maybe that's part of the point – but Styrke doesn't loses sight of her sense of fun." [10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "YouYouYou" |
|
| 3:03 |
| 2. | "Cool Me Down" |
|
| 2:38 |
| 3. | "Another Broken Heart" |
|
| 2:47 |
| 4. | "Lies" |
| Loelv | 2:24 |
| 5. | "Free" |
|
| 2:42 |
| 6. | "24H" |
| Nyström | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Hardcore" |
| Elvira | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Start Walking" |
| Lostboy | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Millennial Blues" |
| Scheller | 2:24 |
| 10. | "Show Me Love" |
| Loelv | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Bruises" |
| Loelv | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 30:47 | |||
Notes
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [11] | 58 |
Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on Swedish Idol 2009, finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. She released her debut album Tove Styrke in 2010. The New York Post included Styrke in its list of "10 Artists to Know in 2011". In 2015, she released her second album, Kiddo. Three years later, in 2018, she released her third album, Sway. Throughout the 2010s Styrke gained an increasing critical acclaim as an independent artist resulting in her single "Say My Name" being included in Rolling Stone's 100 best songs of the decade.
Alma-Sofia Miettinen, known professionally as Alma, is a Finnish singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in 2013, she placed fifth in the seventh season of the Finnish version of Idol. Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she was featured on the single "Muuta ku mä" by Sini Sabotage, and was subsequently signed to Universal Music Group.
"Say My Name" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album Sway (2018). It was released as the album's lead single on 28 April 2017 through Sony Music. The song was written by the singer, Elof Loelv and Tinashe "T Collar" Sibanda, with production by Loelv. "Say My Name" is a minimal electropop song with a prominent ukulele riff that Styrke convinced Loelv to integrate as a central part. She described the song as musically and lyrically different from the material of her previous studio album Kiddo (2015), and explained that working with Loelv helped her evolve her sound.
"Mistakes" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). Styrke wrote the song with Elof Loelv, who handled the production. The inspiration behind the song originated from Styrke wanting to embrace being imperfect and making mistakes. It was released as the album's second single on 15 September 2017 through Sony Music. The electropop song features a vocoder-backed chorus and lyrics that describe the protagonist's willingness to take risks in a relationship. The instrumental incorporates sound effects and samples from various sources that correspond to the lyrics.
"Changed My Mind" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album Sway (2018). The song was written by the singer, Elof Loelv, Michael Trewartha, Kyle Trewartha, Kathryn Ostenberg, and Linnea Södahl, with production by Loelv. It was released as the third single from the album on 2 February 2018, through Sony Music. The synth-pop and tropical house song includes dancehall influences and vocoder effects. Its lyrics detail an on-again, off-again relationship where the singer changes her mind about her partner.
"On the Low" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). Styrke wrote the song with Elof Loelv, who handled the production. It stood as one of the first songs written for the album and was previewed by Styrke while touring in the fall of 2017. The song was released as the album's fourth single on 6 April 2018 through Sony Music. Musically, it is a downtempo pop song that Styrke sings with whispered and falsetto vocals over a production consisting of a minimal beat and bird calls. The song's lyrics narrate the protagonist's desire to be in a relationship while her partner prefers to keep it casual.
The discography of Swedish singer Tove Styrke consists of four studio albums, two extended plays (EPs), thirty singles, and twenty music videos. At the age of sixteen, Styrke finished in third place on the sixth season of Idol in December 2009. She was signed then to Sony Music and released her debut single "Million Pieces" in June 2010. Her debut studio album Tove Styrke (2010) received positive critical response for its electropop sound. The album earned a gold certification by the Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF). The single "White Light Moment" was a commercial success on charts and radio in Sweden, peaking at number five on the Sverigetopplistan singles chart. The album was distributed abroad in the next two years with the single "Call My Name", which entered charts in Belgium and Germany.
"Don't Worry Bout Me" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson, released by TEN Music Group and Epic Records on 28 March 2019. Larsson wrote "Don't Worry Bout Me" with Tove Lo, Rami Yacoub, Linnea Södahl, Whitney Phillips, and The Struts, who also produced the song. It is a dance-pop track with dancehall-infused house production. Initially released as a standalone single, the song appears on the Japanese edition of Larsson's third studio album, Poster Girl. The song reached the top 10 in Sweden and Spain.
"Glad He's Gone" is a song recorded by Swedish singer Tove Lo for her fourth studio album Sunshine Kitty (2019). It was released worldwide on 31 May 2019 and serviced to American contemporary hit radio stations on 18 June 2019 by Republic Records as the album's lead single. The song was written by Lo and its producers the Struts and Shellback. "Glad He's Gone" is an electropop, pop and ambient pop song with lyrics featuring Lo looking out for and talking to a friend who has a demanding boyfriend.
"Bad as the Boys" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo featuring Finnish singer Alma, released on 2 August 2019 as the second single from her fourth album Sunshine Kitty. It marks Lo and Alma's third collaboration, following their feature on Charli XCX's 2017 single "Out of My Head" and the remix of Lo's 2018 single "Bitches".
"Bikini Porn" is a song recorded by Swedish singer Tove Lo, who co-wrote it with Finneas, Jakob Hazell, Ludvig Söderberg and Svante Halldin. It was produced by Finneas, Jack & Coke and A Strut, who also handled the programming. Universal Music AB released "Bikini Porn" as a single on 15 January 2020 for download and on streaming services, and later included it on Lo's reissue album Sunshine Kitty: Paw Prints Edition, in May 2020. The single also featured the ballad "Passion and Pain Taste the Same When I'm Weak", written by Lo and Finneas.
"Sway" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). Styrke wrote the song with Joe Janiak and Mozella in Los Angeles. Janiak handled the production with Elof Loelv as co-producer. It was previewed by Styrke while touring with Lorde in the spring of 2018. Sony Music released the song as the album's fifth single on 2 May 2018, two days before the album. Musically, "Sway" is a pop song with electronica influences. Described by Styrke as a love story, the song's lyrics speak of an infatuation and the different feelings associated with it.
"Vibe" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). Styrke wrote the song with Elof Loelv and Negin Djafari, with production by Loelv. The song was added to digital editions of the album on 19 October 2018, five months after the original release. Sony Music issued it as Sway's sixth and final single on the same date. Musically, it is an electronic pop song with a prominent guitar and bass instrumentation. The lyrics deal with the end of a romance, contrary to the album's other tracks which narrate the beginning of relationships.
A Common Turn is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Anna B Savage. It was released on 29 January 2021 by City Slang.
"Venus Fly Trap" is a song written and recorded by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina for her fifth studio album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (2021). It was released as the project's fourth single on 9 June 2021, through Atlantic Records, and was produced by Marina and James Flannigan. A Kito remix featuring Tove Lo was released on 16 July.
"Start Walking" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke. It was released on 22 October 2021 through Sony Music as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Hard (2022).
"Show Me Love" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke. It was released as a single on 21 January 2022 through Sony Music as the second single from her fourth studio album, Hard (2022).
"Mood Swings" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke. It was released as a single on 18 June 2021 through Sony Music.
"Hardcore" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her fourth studio album, Hard (2022). It was released as a single on 11 March 2022 through Sony Music. The song was written by Styrke, Elvira Anderfjärd, and Jakob Jerlström, with production by Anderfjärd.
"Borderline" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her second studio album, Kiddo (2015). The song was released as the album's second single on 9 October 2014 through Sony Music. It is also included on the EP Borderline (2014). Styrke and Janne Kask wrote the song, with production by Johan T. Karlsson. "Borderline" is an electropop song.