Tove Styrke – Sunflower

Swedish alt-pop star Tove Styrke opens the next chapter of her comeback with her new single “Sunflower,” showcasing a more vulnerable and introspective side of herself.

After four years away from the spotlight, Tove returned in January with the single “Prayer” and has since released a series of tracks  – “Space,” “Song and Dance Man” and “Let’s Go Camping” – that highlight the wide-ranging sound and emotional depth of her upcoming album.

As she began releasing the first songs from the album, an inescapable truth became increasingly apparent. The story was much more personal than she first thought. Her own life, internal struggles and deepest fears, as well as the denial of it all and the inability to face herself, turned out to be the real story. This realization meant that the original album title – The Afterparty –  was no longer right for it.

“I feel like this entire album campaign is becoming a document of a person who can no longer hide. The story unfolds in real time, on the record but also in my actual life. I thought I was observing the protagonist until I realized I was her.”

The new album title, I thought this story wasn’t about me, has been revealed by Tove for the first time. It embodies the same resistance, the same hesitation, and the same gradual self-realization that the entire record revolves around. The album will be released on November 6.

With the lyric, “I turn to you like a sunflower turns to the sun,” Tove captures the vulnerability that comes with loving someone deeply. She explains that the song stayed with her for a long time before finally taking shape:

“‘Sunflower’ lingered in the background for a long time before it finally came into being. Deep down, I knew there was one more song left to write, one that would feel like a long embrace. When we finally set out to explore it in the studio, it was as if the song simply fell into my lap from above. Within a few hours, it existed.”  Tove continues: “I didn’t even understand what it was about until much later, when my partner and co-parent heard it and said, ‘Oh, how beautiful. You wrote a song for our daughter.’”

It´s a confident concept album that is meticulously crafted and sounds more like the soundtrack to an indie film than a typical pop album. I thought this story wasn’t about me was shaped over several years, guided by a clear vision from the outset. Tove tells the story behind her forthcoming fifth album:

“I feel like we’re living in a really weird blip in time and the album reflects on what that does to a person. The story plays out as if you’re facing an entire life´s worth of thoughts during one night from dusk til dawn.” She continues: “This album started as an idea that was so vivid in my mind I could almost touch it. I saw it like a still from a movie scene, a distinct atmosphere and vibe and then the lyrics and the music just fell into place almost without any effort. It was all already there.”

On this new chapter Tove Styrke has worked with a tight, local Swedish crew throughout the entire album which she also co-produced. All collaborators are artists in their own right: producer and co-writer Magnus Larsson, Joel Kiviaho (drummer and producer of rising act Boko Yout), and songwriter Linnéa Martinsson (Lune). On being co-producer Tove tells:

“I co-produced the album together with Magnus Larsson. I always work meticulously on every aspect of my music, but this time we really took it to a new level. Because I had such a strong vision of what I wanted the music to feel like it became really important to constantly keep checking that we we were staying on the right path and that the outcome was true to the idea. Working with Magnus whose home turf is electronic music also widened my view on how to produce and arrange songs. On I thought this story wasn’t about me so much of the production is about building tension, slowly gliding between moods and letting each sound have its own journey. This is common in electronic music but not as common in pop.”

Every sound on the album was recorded live in the room or created using analogue machines. No samples were used. A distinct sonic palette of analogue synthesisers from the 1970s and 1980s, live drums and electric bass.  The album draws inspiration from artists ranging from Kraftwerk and Laurie Anderson to Boards of Canada, Suicide, LCD Soundsystem and Jon Hopkins – as well as Adrianne Lenker and Alex Cameron.

Reconnection with nature and parenthood have both played a major role in shaping this next chapter of Tove Styrke’s artistry.  “Becoming a mother has also meant a really powerful shift in my life,” she says.  “I  honestly don’t care what anyone thinks of me anymore. It’s freeing.”  Tove adds:  “I’ve also spent the past few years studying to become a biodynamic gardener. What’s funny is I honestly feel like gardening, my reconnection with nature and parenthood have all influenced this album as much as any work of art or piece of music ever has. Without these components in my life, this new album wouldn’t exist. I feel like that’s life and nature working in its own mysterious way. Everything has its rhythm and its place and everything is connected.”

Following the album’s release this fall, Tove Styrke will perform a series of special live shows built around I thought this story wasn’t about me starting off with an exclusive show in Stockholm.

Tove Styrke Tour Dates:

11/20/26 – Stockholm, SE @  Värmeverket

Tove has also started a political rock band with her partner guitarist Sanna Sikborn Erixon, singing in Swedish, called Året Var (translates to: The Year Was). Only a few weeks ago they released their debut 4-track EP Är Du Nöjd Nu?, with an album due out in September just before the Swedish election. Tove reveals of Året Var:

“From my perspective, the world is falling apart and at the end of the day I got nothing but my brain, my heart and my creativity so I might as we’ll use all those things to the best of my abilities. The band is a result of that. We make music from our own point of view about what we see in society today, especially in Sweden. There’s a lot to cry and to laugh about, and we try to do both with this music.”

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