Eventually we all become imprisoned in the pressure cooker of our own lives, our jobs, relationships, health, finances and friendships simmering beneath the surface but always at risk of a messy boil-over. Tove Lo and SG Lewis want to provide the pressure valve.
The duo moments ago dropped their new EP, HEAT, a pulsing soundtrack for stolen glances and whispered promises. Speaking with EDM.com, it’s clear they believe that confidence and true inner peace aren’t achieved in the absence of noise, but in the places where it’s loudest: dancefloors.
Lewis’ recent transformation to a rave revivalist has been fascinating to watch. Ditching the velvet-lined corridors of future-disco, the renowned producer and singer-songwriter launched his own record label, which he tells us provides a refuge to create club-focused records “without any commercial ambition.”
HEAT is a meeting of two brilliantly creative minds united by a shared devotion to making sweat-drenched memories on the dancefloor. The sensual slink of Lewis’ music has been dumped like sour milk for the brazen badassery of Tove Lo, who has always created songs for the bold and uninhibited.
The Swedish pop iconoclast is also transforming; she’s still the “cool girl,” but she’s no longer ice-cold, nor rolling her eyes at you. That stoic bravado melts away atop the coals of Lewis’ fiery club production in HEAT, turning into something more fluid and free.
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As Tove Lo herself describes it, the connection with Lewis is one “that rarely happens,” a confluence of artistic visions that crackles like flint meeting tinder. Their prior collaborations, scattered like embers across their own albums, hinted at this potential—but the fire is now raging.
“It needs to be a situation where you feel like you can be completely vulnerable and just show whatever comes to mind, but still want to impress the person,” Tove Lo explains before turning to Lewis. “I feel very comfortable in the room with you and at the same time, want to impress you.”
“In the same way, I know that I have to bring my A-game in the studio with Tove,” adds Lewis, who said he’s indebted to his collaborator for learning how to “maximize the potential of a song.”
“I know that if I tee her up with something great, every single time she’s going to deliver something that betters what I did. So it’s that kind of back-and-forth I think creates this instant studio chemistry. It’s crazy how effective the results are. We’ve rarely been in the studio without leaving with something that we’re very excited about.”
One of the project’s undeniable highlights is its smoldering titular track, “HEAT,” which seethes with the unspoken language of the dancefloor. Wrapped in a palpitating house beat, Tove Lo’s come-hither lyrics paint a picture of sexual tension as a flickering flame—alluring from afar, but scorching to those who touch. “Staring is free” becomes a cruel invitation, a reminder that some can only handle the sizzle, not the inferno.
“HEAT” is a radiant display of bravura from Lewis and Lo, who said it best encapsulates the unapologetically hedonistic ethos of its namesake EP. “It’s sweaty, high-energy, confident, flirty, corny music,” she says with a laugh.
The track arrives alongside a steamy NSFW music video filmed at London’s iconic Electrowerkz club, a linchpin of the UK’s queer nightlife scene. The duo recently debuted their “CLUB HEAT” concept at an intimate party in the city and are now set to take a giant leap to the hallowed grounds of Glastonbury on June 28th.
Just like that wild night, HEAT is meant to be experienced in a packed space, disengaged from the bothersome burdens of the external world. From the Eurodance euphoria of “Desire” to the house-fueled braggadocio of “Busy Girl,” its an exercise in reckless abandon—the kind where you wake up with a hangover and plenty of mistakes made, but no regrets.
What tangible steps can you take to conjure this cathartic dancefloor release promised by the “CLUB HEAT” experience?
“Call your most unhinged friend,” Tove Lo says. “And don’t bring a jacket, don’t bring a big bag—the smallest bag, if any bag, so your hands are free. Put on your best dancing, comfortable shoes but then a really sexy look.”
“And then just find the sweatiest dancefloor you can find. Not a bottle service club, not some dive bar. You need to find the rave.”
You can listen to HEAT below and find the new EP on streaming platforms here.
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