S.L.R. Magazine

Swedish pop artist Tove Styrke releases her fifth studio album, I thought this story wasn’t about me, today, alongside the official music video for album focus track “Look at me.” Her first new album in four years, the 16-track project finds Styrke moving into more experimental, introspective territory, drawing inspiration from Kraftwerk, LCD Soundsystem, Adrianne Lenker, and more. Co-produced by Styrke, the album unfolds like an indie film soundtrack set against a dusk-till-dawn afterparty, exploring isolation, connection and the longing for belonging. Made and meant to be listened to from start to finish.

Directed by Natalie Olenheim Boija, the video for “Look at me” explores the conflicting desire to be seen and remain invisible in a world increasingly shaped by digital perception. Drawing inspiration from classical sculptures, its choreography contrasts the permanence of art with the fleeting nature of human experience.

“There’s an interesting tension I think between the wish to be and not be perceived in our digital world. We base so much of our value on the outside world’s perception of us, and yet that image may have nothing to do with what we experience emotionally on the inside. As humans I think we want to leave a mark, live forever. In the video for ”Look at me” we took our inspiration for the choreography from classical statues like Zeus, Venus, David etc. It became a beautiful clash I think between hard and soft, something living and something dead, the eternal and ephemeral.” — Tove Styrke

The release follows recent features in ODALISQUE Magazine, ELLE Sweden and Vogue Scandinavia, which explored Styrke’s creative evolution over the past four years, a period that saw her become a mother, train as a biodynamic gardener, star in David Bowie’s Lazarus musical in Stockholm, and form the political rock band Året Var with her partner Sanna Sikborn Erixon. These experiences helped shape I thought this story wasn’t about me, a record that finds Styrke embracing a more personal and unfiltered approach to songwriting while pushing the boundaries of her sound. 

Tove Styrke – I thought this story wasn’t about me (Nov 6)

1. Intro
2. Prayer
3. Song and dance man
4. Let’s go camping
5. Look at me
6. Afterparty hymn
7. Space
8. Burial
9. 04:39
10. Me/You (always and forever)
11. Big exit
12. Sunflower
13. Keep this safe
14. Ah ah ah ah (there it is again)
15. Sitting by the fire
16. Save me