Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, better known as Tove Lo, released Dirt Femme, her fifth studio album, last year, and she’s been on the road promoting her new songs. Her touring took her to a smaller-than-usual venue recently, where 450 lucky folks caught her at The Atlantis, the little sister to the famed 9:30 Club, in DC.
Katherine Gaines was there to photograph the show!
At The Atlantis on Sept. 15, Tove Lo performed 19 songs, drawing 10 of them from Dirt Femme. She opened with “Pineapple Slice” from the new album, and she added its tracks “Elevator Eyes” and “No One Dies from Love” to its encore.
Watch the official music video for “Elevator Eyes (Scene 15)” by Tove Lo on YouTube:
In a press release, Tove Lo discussed the inspiration behind the new album: “Dirt Femme is about me and my relationship with my femininity. When I started out as a writer and an artist, I used to view my feminine traits as weaker and would enhance my masculine traits to get ahead in life. I feel a big energy shift in my environment since then and this album reflects the various ways my feminine side has both helped and hurt me.”
She added, “I’m a pansexual woman married to a straight man. I believe masculine and feminine lives on a spectrum in all humans. There are so many more interesting nuances than most people want to accept. Songs on this album will contradict each other, will probably upset some of you, will make you want to dance, cry, fuck, and drive your car really, really, fast. It’s extremely personal as always which is why it’s so hard to describe in just a few words. It’s all my feelings, thoughts and questions put together in under 50 minutes with no answers. But I know that I always feel relief and connection when a song just speaks to my emotions without telling me what to do about them. I hope this album reaches that little secret pocket in your heart where all the real stuff is hiding.”
To the delight of the sold-out crowd at The Atlantis, Tove Lo spoke just as powerfully in song as she does in statements.
Here are some photos of Tove Lo performing at The Atlantis in DC on Sept. 15, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Katherine Gaines.
