Lykke Li goes back to basics with heartbreaking new single
It has been quite a while since we heard something from Lykke Li. The Swedish singer-songwriter released her second album Wounded Rhymes in 2011. Although the album took some time to make its impact into the charts, she managed to get her mainstream breakthrough with ‘I Follow Rivers’. The Magician Remix became a huge hit in large parts of Europe. Lykke Li however did not decide to go on with this dance trend. The new single ‘Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone’, taken from the album I Never Learn, is a heartbreaking ballad on guitar.
Lykke Li first emerged on the scene in 2008 when she released her debut record Youth Novels. Back then, her sound could be described as dreamy, slightly electronic indie pop, but with the second album her music evolved into something darker, somewhat louder and bigger. Quite a few songs on the brilliant Wounded Rhymes had big ‘wall of sound’ productions. It seems Lykke goes back to basics with the new single ‘Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone’. It is just her voice and a guitar and the result is absolutely captivating and emotionally intense.
Honestly, I think I have not heard such a convincing and heartbreaking vocal delivery in quite some time. Of course, Lykke Li is known for her distinctive and maybe even quirky sound of voice and people who listened to songs like ‘Paris Blue’, ‘Sadness Is A Blessing’ and ‘Unrequited Love’, know she is capable of very passionate performances of emotional songs, but it feels like she has outdone her self with this new one. The lyrics of ‘Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone’ seem straight from the heart and sentences like ‘love me deep, until you can’t’ and ‘will you love my scars, so I can heal?’ are simple, but beautiful and effective.
Still, these lyrics would not have such a big impact if it wasn’t for her pure, honest, emotional delivery. There is not such a thing as just listening to this track. Hearing this song, is feeling this song. If you do not feel anything while listening to Lykke Li’s emotional ‘it hurts baby’, you might actually need to worry you are made of stone.
The new album I Never Learn will be released on the 2nd of May.