On the Low

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This article is about the song by Tove Styrke. For the Burna Boy song, see African Giant.
"On the Low"
A single cover with an illustrated skateboard with name of the artist written in a white circle over a yellow background.
Single by Tove Styrke
from the album Sway
Released6 April 2018 (2018-04-06)
GenrePop
Length3:46
LabelSony Music
Songwriter(s)
  • Tove Styrke
  • Elof Loelv
Producer(s)Elof Loelv
Tove Styrke singles chronology
"Endless"
(2018) 		"On the Low"
(2018) 		"Sway"
(2018)

"On the Low" is a song by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). Styrke wrote the song with Elof Loelv, who handled the production. It stood as one of the first songs written for the album and was previewed by Styrke while touring in the fall of 2017. The song was released as the album's fourth single on 6 April 2018 through Sony Music. Musically, it is a downtempo pop song that Styrke sings with whispered and falsetto vocals over a production consisting of a minimal beat and bird calls. The song's lyrics narrate the protagonist's desire to be in a relationship while her partner prefers to keep it casual.

"On the Low" received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its detailed production and Styrke's vocals. Upon its release, the song appeared below the top 100 of the Sverigetopplistan singles chart, reaching number 12 on the Heatseeker chart. Lisa Hultengren directed the accompanying lyric video in which Styrke performs the song on stage. She has performed the song live on several occasions, including a televised performance on Nyhetsmorgon in 2018 and a 2020 session hosted by Sveriges Radio P3, where she sang an acoustic rendition.

Background

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Tove Styrke wrote "On the Low" with Elof Loelv for her third studio album Sway (2018).[1] It was one of the first songs written for the album and one of two tracks, along with "Mistakes", that was co-written by only Styrke and Loelv.[2][3] Styrke said that the two spent heavy time in the studio "figuring each song out, fighting through it, to get it perfect".[4] Styrke aimed to "strip everything down" with Sway and create minimal but interesting songs.[4] Regarding "On the Low", she said that "it's basically just one sound, then a drum, then the vocal".[4] To keep the song interesting, other components and sounds were added to the instrumentation.[4][5] Loelv managed production and programming, in addition to playing all the instruments on the song.[6] Henrik Edenhed mixed the track and Randy Merrill handled mastering.[3] Styrke told Gaffa that out of all the tracks on Sway, she was the most proud of the chorus of "On the Low".[7] She also named it her favorite song on the album in terms of melody.[8] In an interview for Billboard, she labelled the track "the heart of the album", calling it "just very pure, in a way".[2]

Composition and lyrics

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"On the Low"
An excerpt from the song, showcasing Styrke's whispered and falsetto vocals.[9][10] Music critics noted its minimal and detailed production, backed by bird calls.[11][12]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"On the Low" is a three-minute and 46-second downtempo pop song.[13][14] Instrumentation is provided by a bass guitar, drums, percussion and a synthesizer.[6] The track uses a "vibrating" beat and sounds of birds chirping as part of its backing.[12][15] Music critics described the production as minimalistic and "airy",[14][12][16] whereas NME writer Hannah Mylrea characterized it as "stripped back".[17] Styrke utilizes breathy and whispered vocals throughout the song, while the chorus includes parts with falsetto.[9][10] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters noted the singer's change of pitch and a "stretching" of her voice, writing that Styrke "speeds up and slows down her phrasing as if answering her own interpretations of what she's felt and observed".[18] NME's Thomas Smith defined the song as an "exercise in whisper-pop".[19]

Lyrically, "On the Low" narrates the protagonist's desire to be in a relationship.[20] Styrke viewed the song as a "straight up love song".[21] She said, "It's the smallest song in terms of how it sounds, but in another way it's the biggest."[21] According to Idolator's Mike Nied, Styrke sings about hoping for a future with her partner while her partner prefers to keep the relationship casual,[22] demonstrated in lines such as, "Why you need space now? I don't wanna zoom out. Now, what's wrong with you being close to me?"[21] Matthew Kent of The Line of Best Fit wrote that the song "details the frustration and lack of freedom experienced when a relationship is kept under wraps".[23] "On the Low" ends with an echo where the sounds of the bird calls are isolated, which Margaret Farrell of Pitchfork interpreted as a metaphor for desire.[9] Farrell wrote that the closing bird calls transform "Styrke's lonely cave into her very own Garden of Eden, where temptation isn't taboo".[9]

Release and promotion

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Styrke previewed "On the Low" in concert prior to its official release while touring in the fall of 2017.[24] She also performed the song live while serving as the opening act for New Zealand singer Lorde on the Melodrama World Tour in the spring of 2018.[23] The song was digitally released on 6 April 2018 through Sony Music.[25] It was the fourth single issued from Sway ahead of the album's release in May 2018.[26] Sepidar Hosseini designed the single's artwork, which follows the pattern of the other Sway singles by using an illustrated item on its cover.[19][27] The artwork for "On the Low" features a skateboard.[19] The single release coincided with a press release which announced Styrke would serve as the opening act for American singer Katy Perry during several European dates of Witness: The Tour.[1]

To promote the single, Styrke performed "On the Low" on the TV4 morning show Nyhetsmorgon on 6 May 2018.[28] Sony Music premiered a lyric video of the song via Styrke's YouTube channel on 26 June 2018.[29] The video sees Styrke performing the song on stage. The visual was shot in a bar in East London earlier in the summer of 2018.[30] She said, "I made a mini performance video for 'On the Low', like a little bonus thing just because I love that song so much."[30] Lisa Hultengren directed the video, with Teodoro Johansson Beascoechea as co-director and cinematographer.[31] Styrke included the song on the set list of the Sway Tour in 2018.[32] She performed a live acoustic rendition of the song accompanied by guitar for P3 Session, hosted by radio station Sveriges Radio P3, on 10 April 2020.[33] Styrke learnt how to play the guitar in the weeks leading up to the performance, which also included a cover of Benee and Gus Dapperton's 2019 song "Supalonely".[33]

Reception

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"On the Low" was met with primarily positive reviews from music critics. At the time of its release, Kent of The Line of Best Fit gave the track a "Song of the Day" designation, writing, "An outlier in terms of the music we've heard from Sway thus far, it's a refreshing reminder that Styrke can do anything."[23] TT News Agency writer Sara Haldert regarded "On the Low" a "playful, charming, and professional" song.[11] Mylrea, writing for NME, deemed the song "expertly crafted" and highlighted Styrke's whispered vocals.[17] Simon Österhof of Västerbottens-Kuriren called it "fantastic".[34] Similarly, Lindsay Howard of Variance found the song "irresistible" and declared it a "gem".[26] Kish Lal of The Sydney Morning Herald described the single as a "safe bet", commenting that "Styrke's husky whispering work[s] well against minimal downtempo pop beats".[14]

Per Magnusson of Aftonbladet felt that "On the Low" showcased Styrke's "pop star potential", writing that the singer managed to adhere to commercial appeal and be different at the same time.[12] Markus Larsson, also from Aftonbladet, praised the song's ability to sound "grand" even though its production is simple.[35] He wrote that "the careful attention to suggestive details means that there is always more to discover".[35] Farrell from Pitchfork also noted the "witty, unexpected details" throughout Sway, singling out the bird calls on "On the Low".[9] Mas Karin Gustafsson, whose review appeared in Nya Wermlands-Tidningen, felt that the song suffers from the "cool" approach of other album tracks, writing that "On the Low" and the title track "blend into one another".[36]

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone selected "On the Low" as the 23rd-best song of 2018. He wrote, "'On the Low' was a single that flopped everywhere ... but it's a huge hit in my head, a perfect storm of robot sad-girl synth hiccups."[37] Commercially, "On the Low" became the first of Sway's singles to miss the top 100 of the Sverigetopplistan singles chart.[37][38] The single debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Heatseeker chart on 13 April 2018.[39] Its peak position made it the lowest-charting single of the album.[38][40][41]

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from Tidal.[6]

  • Tove Styrke – songwriting
  • Elof Loelv – songwriting, production, programming, bass, drums, percussion, synthesizer
  • Henrik Edenhed – mixing
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

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Chart performance for "On the Low"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 12

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "On the Low"
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various 6 April 2018
Sony Music [25]
Sweden 10 April 2018 Radio airplay [42]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tove Styrke släpper singeln 'On The Low' från kommande albumet 'Sway' – på scen med Lorde sjungandes Robyn cover" [Tove Styrke drops the single 'On The Low' from the upcoming album 'Sway' – on stage with Lorde singing a Robyn cover] (Press release) (in Swedish). Sony Music. Retrieved 13 February 2022 – via Mynewsdesk.
  2. ^ a b Atkinson, Katie (8 May 2018). "Pop Shop Podcast: Tove Styrke Talks Touring With Katy Perry & Lorde, Mixing 'Love Stories' With 'Anti-Romantic' Songs on 'Sway'". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sway (Media notes). Tove Styrke. RCA, Sony Music. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Maloney, Austin (18 May 2018). "Tove Styrke Makes No Mistakes On New Album Sway". Totally Stockholm. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  5. ^ Lidberg, Björn (22 November 2018). "Tove Styrke: 'Allt känns lustfullt'" [Tove Styrke: 'Everything feels pleasurable']. Värmlands Folkblad (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022. (subscription required)
  6. ^ a b c "Credits / On the Low / Tove Styrke". Tidal. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  7. ^ Lillbroända, Karin (4 May 2018). "Hoppar på nästa tåg" [Hops on the next train]. Gaffa (in Swedish). pp. 20–24.
  8. ^ Åberg, Evelina (5 May 2018). "Full fart framåt för Tove Styrke" [Full speed ahead for Tove Styrke]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). pp. 8–9.
  9. ^ a b c d e Farrell, Margaret (2 May 2018). "Tove Styrke: Sway Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b Holm, Mikael (22 May 2018). "Bästa låtarna sommaren 2018 – den enda playlist du behöver" [The best songs of the summer of 2018 – the only playlist you need]. Café (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Skivrecensioner vecka 18" [Record reviews week 18] (in Swedish). TT News Agency. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Retriever Research. (subscription required)
  12. ^ a b c d Magnusson, Per (6 April 2018). "Veckans singlar: vårpirr för hela slanten" [Singles of the week: spring feelings all the way]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Sway – Tove Styrke". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  14. ^ a b c "Music reviews: Missy Higgins, Claudio Arrau, Wes Montgomery and more". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  15. ^ Engström, Anna (8 May 2018). "Sway är Tove Styrkes väg ut i världen" [Sway is Tove's way out in the world]. Borås Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  16. ^ "The GQ Staff's Favorite Albums of 2018". GQ. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  17. ^ a b Mylrea, Hannah (4 May 2018). "Tove Styrke: 'Sway' Review". NME. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  18. ^ Horowitz, Steve (25 May 2018). "Tove Styrke 'Sways' to the Music". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  19. ^ a b c Smith, Thomas (14 May 2018). "Tove Styrke: Take a chance on Lorde and Katy Perry's favourite new pop purveyor". NME. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  20. ^ Lamaina, Francesca. "Album Review: Tove Styrke – Sway". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  21. ^ a b c Gore, Sydney (5 April 2018). "Tove Styrke's 'On The Low' Is For Lovers Who Have Lost Their Chill". MTV. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018.
  22. ^ Nied, Mike (4 May 2018). "So Many Bops! Stream Tove Styrke's Dreamy 'Sway' In Full". Idolator. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  23. ^ a b c Kent, Matthew (6 April 2018). "Tove Styrke shifts gear with the spaced-out subtlety of 'On The Low'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  24. ^ Kent, Matthew (16 September 2017). "No Mistakes Here". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  25. ^ a b "On the Low – Single by Tove Styrke". Apple Music. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  26. ^ a b Howard, Lindsay (6 April 2018). "How Does Tove Styrke Keep Making These Irresistible Gems?". Variance. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  27. ^ Borrelli-Persson, Laird (4 February 2019). "Tove Styrke Is a Hit-Making Swedish Pop Star Who Supports Emerging Designers". Vogue. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Tove Styrke sjunger On the Low" [Tove Styrke sings On the Low] (in Swedish). TV4. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Tove Styrke släpper lyricvideo till 'On The Low' och går ut med USA- och England-turné" [Tove Styrke releases lyric video for 'On the Low' and announces US and UK tour] (Press release) (in Swedish). Sony Music. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Mynewsdesk.
  30. ^ a b Prickett, Macon (26 June 2018). "Tove Styrke Announces North American Headline Tour". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Tove Styrke – On the Low (Lyric Video)". Tove Styrke. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ Andersson, Sofia (18 August 2018). "Styrke uppdaterar den enkla popen" [Styrke updates simple pop music]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). pp. 47–48.
  33. ^ a b "P3 Session med Tove Styrke" [P3 Session with Tove Styrke] (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  34. ^ Österhof, Simon (4 May 2018). "VK:s recensent: Så bra är Styrkes nya album" [VK's reviewer: This is how good Styrke's new album is]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022. (subscription required)
  35. ^ a b Larson, Markus (4 May 2018). "Ett strålande och kortfattat popalbum" [A brilliant and brief pop album]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  36. ^ Gustafsson, Mas Karin (4 May 2018). "Svalt och segt svaj" [Cool and tough sway]. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Retriever Research. (subscription required)
  37. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (20 December 2018). "Rob Sheffield's Top 25 Songs of 2018". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019.
  38. ^ a b "Tove Styrke – On the Low". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 15, 2018" [Weekly chart Heatseeker – Week 15, 2018] (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  40. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 19, 2018" [Weekly chart Heatseeker – Week 19, 2018] (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  41. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 43, 2018" [Weekly chart Heatseeker – Week 43, 2018] (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  42. ^ "Veckans adderingar" [This week's adds] (in Swedish). Radionytt. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
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