MarketQueen of the Clouds
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Queen of the Clouds

Queen of the Clouds is the debut studio album by Swedish singer Tove Lo, released on 24 September 2014 by Island Records. Recorded in numerous studios across Stockholm, Sweden and the United States, the album follows her first extended play, Truth Serum (2014). Lo worked with several writers and producers such as the Struts, Klas Åhlund, Alexander Kronlund, Alx Reuterskiöld, and Captain Cuts.

Background and development
Follow-up to Lo's debut extended play, Truth Serum (2014), Queen of the Clouds is a trilogy divided into three sections: "The Sex", "The Love" and "The Pain". She described her music as like a therapist, where she could sing about things she would not normally dare to speak about. The title for the album came from her song "Not on Drugs", and describes her new lifestyle touring the world after the success of her debut EP. Lo said that it represented the feeling of "floating on top of the world" and that it was important that the album title represented her. ==Composition==
Composition
Queen of the Clouds blends multiple styles of music into a "monogenre" sound, containing heavy influences of EDM, hip hop, dance-pop, new wave, rock, and R&B, as it combines them into a "seamless compendium". Similar to the theme of poisoned relationships explored on Truth Serum, the album centers on a breakup and provides a complete narration of her romantic struggles. Album opener, "My Gun", has been described as an urban-influenced pop song textured with elements of dancehall. It begins with a "mournful"-sounding choir before building to an upbeat pop groove. Lo's vocals are low and seductive, before gliding into her higher range. The track explores the "flirty" stage before delving into more sexual themes, found later on "Talking Body", and has been compared to the works of Rihanna. Lyrically, Lo compares her lover to "her gun" and sings of feeling a release of pleasure: "Boy, if you're gonna shoot me down/Do it gently". Lyrically, the verses see Lo in a state of idée fixe towards her partner, as she finds herself revolving her life around him. The chorus is musically armed with heavy propulsion combined with rising, subdued synths and sees her "objectifying" his model physique. Rounding out the first section is "Timebomb", a frantic electronic dance piano ballad hybrid described as a "sonic bombardment" of "euphoric" chords, drums, and psychedelic synths, and features an "explosive" chorus containing crashing cymbals and pounding bass. Lo's vocals in the track are sung out of time to the beat, rushing her lyrics into a single phrase. The following song, "Habits (Stay High)" sees her emotionally unravel even more, as she talks about self-medicating by smoking marijuana to cope to live without her lover. It's "snappy" verses are filled with "quietly distinct, often strange imagery", including Lo eating her dinner in the bathtub, getting drunken munchies, and seducing dads on the playground. Musically, it is a Purity Ring-inspired song, and creates a calming atmosphere compared to that of morphine. "This Time Around" is a dark Charli XCX-inspired track which reflects on the lessons learned from a heartbreak. Lo's vocal performance on the song has been described as particularly yearning and broken. The final song of the section and album is "Run on Love", an "easy-going" reworked nu-disco dance collaboration with EDM producer Lucas Nord. Lyrically, Lo sings of picking up her heart and choosing to no longer be a victim by living in the moment enjoy time with her lover before it runs out. ==Release and promotion==
Release and promotion
Lo announced the release of Queen of the Clouds in an interview with Rolling Stone on 19 August 2014. Shortly after, on 9 September, the album was made available to pre-order online through the iTunes Store. On 16 September, the album tracks such as "Moments", "Timebomb" and "Thousand Miles" were also made available to download alongside the iTunes pre-order. On 24 September, Lo performed "Habits" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote her album. The album was also supported by the Queen of the Clouds Tour which was conducted between September and November 2015. On 27 September 2024, the reissue of Queen of the Clouds, subtitled X, was released to commemorate the album's tenth anniversary. It includes two new songs ("Jealousy" and "Write Me Off") and a new remix of "Talking Body". The track "Jealousy", officially titled as "Jealousy (From the Vault)", was mostly anticipated song among her fans in 2014. Singles The lead single, "Habits (Stay High)", was originally released as "Habits" on 25 March 2013 prior to the release of Truth Serum in March 2014. It was later re-released as "Habits (Stay High)" on 6 December 2013. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2014. A remix of the song by record production duo Hippie Sabotage, alternatively titled "Stay High", was released on 25 February 2014. It peaked at number 13 on the Swedish Singles Chart, while it peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. "Not on Drugs" was originally revealed as the album's second single with its lyric video of the premiering in June 2014 and its music video premiering in August of the same year, but a different single, "Talking Body", impacted pop radio on 13 January 2015. It has since peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 as of 20 May 2015. It was digitally released on 12 August 2015. However, Republic Records, which handled Lo's American radio promotions, made "Moments" impact pop radio instead of "Timebomb" on 13 October 2015; "Moments" became the fourth single from the album. ==Critical reception==
Critical reception
Upon release, Queen of the Clouds received positive reviews from music critics. According to Metacritic, the album received an average score of 73/100 based on 4 reviews. Carrie Battan from Pitchfork gave the album a 7.2 out of 10 and described her music as "bruised, brightly arranged pop songs that feel grand but not excessive". She also noted that her "disarming honesty" and "well-phrased lyrics" are what sticks to the brain. ==Commercial performance==
Commercial performance
Sweden In Lo's native Sweden, Queen of the Clouds debuted at number six on the Sverigetopplistan charts, remaining in the top 100 for 79 weeks. and would eventually be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for equivalent sales of 1,000,000 units. The album debuted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 4,722 copies in its first week. The album also peaked within the top 50 in Australia, Finland, New Zealand and Norway. ==Track listing==
Track listing
{{Track listing {{Track listing Notes • signifies an additional producer. • signifies a co-producer. • signifies a remixer. • signifies an additional vocal producer. ==Credits and personnel==
Credits and personnel
Credits were adapted from the liner notes of the international standard edition. Recording locationsWolf Cousins; Stockholm (2–4, 7–9) • MXM; Stockholm (4) • Apmamman; Stockholm (5) • Warner/Chappell; Stockholm (10, 12, 13, 17) • The Tree House; Los Angeles (14) • Kustom Deluxe; Nashville (14) • The Barn; Stockholm (15) • Farplane; Stockholm (15) MusiciansTove Lo – vocals (2–5, 7–10, 12–16); backing vocals (2) • The Struts – keyboards, guitars (2, 10); bass (2); programming (2, 3, 9, 10, 12, 13); all instruments (3, 9, 12); all keyboards (13) • Daniel Ledinsky – strings, backing vocals (2) • Shellback – additional programming, keyboards (4) • Klas Åhlund – instruments, programming (5) • David Nyström – piano (5) • Mattman & Robin – all instruments, programming (7) • Ali Payami – all instruments, programming (8) • Filip Runesson – strings (9, 13) • Alx Reuterskiöld – keyboards (10) • Scribz Riley – all instruments, programming (12) • Kyle Shearer – all instruments (14) • Jeffrey Saurer – musical arrangement (16) • Kevin Saurer – musical arrangement (16) Technical • The Struts – production (2, 3, 9, 10, 12, 13); engineering (2) • Daniel Ledinsky – additional production (2) • Spyke Lee – engineering assistance (2) • Lars Norgren – mixing (2, 3, 7–10, 12–14) • Shellback – production (4) • Serban Ghenea – mixing (4) • John Hanes – engineering for mix (4) • Klas Åhlund – production (5) • Michael Illbert – mixing (5) • Mattman & Robin – production (7) • Ali Payami – production (8) • Alx Reuterskiöld – co-production (10) • Scribz Riley – production (12) • Kyle Shearer – production (14) • Robert Marvin – additional engineering (14) • Andy Selby – vocal editing (14) • Lucas Nord – production, mixing (15) • Hippie Sabotage – remix, additional production (16) • Björn Engelmann – mastering Artwork • Daniel Åberg – art direction, design, cover design • Johannes Helje – cover design, photography, photo editing • Clara Tägtström – cover design • Tove Lo – cover design, hand lettering titles • Oskar Wettergren – hand lettering front and chapters ==Charts==
Charts
Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==
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