''So Sad So Sexy'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Lykke Li, released on 8 June 2018 by RCA. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Deep End", "Hard Rain", "Utopia", "Sex Money Feelings Die" and "Two Nights" featuring

Aminé Adam Aminé Daniel (born April 18, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He first gained notability for his commercial debut single, "Caroline", which peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Aminé released hi ...

. Ilsey Juber co-wrote the majority of the album, which is musically influenced by

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

served as an executive producer, with further production by Li's husband Jeff Bhasker,

T-Minus A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

, DJ Dahi,

Illangelo Carlo Montagnese (born July 29, 1987), known professionally as Illangelo, is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, musician and mixing engineer from Calgary, Alberta, who came to attention as long-time collaborator of the Weeknd. A Grammy Awa ...

, Emile Haynie, Jonny Coffer, Kid Harpoon and

Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...

, among others.

Release and promotion

Lykke Li announced ''So Sad So Sexy'' on 19 April alongside the release of the first two singles from the record, "Deep End" and "Hard Rain". She released the third single "Utopia" on Mother's Day with an intimate video directed by Clara Cullen. On 29 May, she released two more singles, "Sex Money Feelings Die" and "Two Nights" featuring

. On 10 April, Li shared a trailer for the album featuring a snippet of the title track, which '' Clash'' called a "silken pop groove that display Lykke at her effortless best". '' Under the Radar'' called the 90-second album trailer "mysterious" and noted Li appearing in different settings wearing various outfits. Li played various European and North American festivals including the

Osheaga Festival The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (french: Festival musique et arts Osheaga) is a multi-day indie music festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held every summer at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The festival takes place on six stages ...

in support of the album in mid-2018.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Ilana Kaplan of '' The Independent'' wrote, "Li's latest foray in pop is a brilliant display of growth, both personally and professionally. She once again proves that there's no such thing as boring in her music." '' Consequence of Sound''s Grant Sharples said, "Although the

-influenced style wears thin at times, ''so sad so sexy'' is a superb reinvention of Lykke Li." Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic said, "Li's defeat and grief are palpable, yet she delivers with such grace and control, which offers a glimmer of hope for the fellow romantically downtrodden. With production to match, ''so sad so sexy'' succeeds in providing a relatable therapy session for love's final gasps." In a less positive review, ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' critic Jenna Mohammed said the album "is an unusual blend of pop and R&B inspiration, but it's not a memorable album. Lykke Li scratches the bare surface of the talent she possesses, making you wish there was just a little more energy." Similarly, Claire Biddles of '' The Line of Best Fit'' wrote, "The album's repeated motif of smoking and cigarettes as an addiction metaphor feels try-hard rather than smart. The best tracks are those that transpose the drama of Li's best work to the album's more explicitly pop context." ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

''s Josh Goller wrote, "''So Sad So Sexy'' is a sleek, homogeneous pop-oriented album that feels both conceptually half-formed and technically fussed-over." For '' Pitchfork'', Stacey Anderson wrote that "with festival-ready hooks and trap-inspired production, Lykke Li delivers another record about an unraveling romance and the fraught sexuality of its final moments with diminishing returns", and that "her traumas are too often muted by abstraction and unspecificity ... it is beginning to lose its impact".

Track listing

Notes * signifies an additional producer * signifies a vocal producer *"Hard Rain" features background vocals from

. *"Deep End", "Jaguars in the Air" and "Better Alone" feature background vocals from Ilsey Juber. *"So Sad So Sexy" features background vocals from

Andrew Wyatt Andrew Wyatt Blakemore is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he began his career playing in New York bands such as The A.M. and Black Beetle. He gained wider notability as the frontman ...

and Ilsey Juber.

Personnel

* Lykke Li – vocals, executive production *

– vocals *

– production, synthesizer, piano, sampling, drum programming, pitch adjustment, background vocals *

Ali Payami Ali Payami is an Iranian-Swedish record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Payami's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was The Weeknd's single "Can't Feel My Face". In 2016, he won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his contributions on ...

– production, bass, brass band, drums, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer * Jeff Bhasker – production, guitar, keyboards, piano, Moog synthesizer *

– production, executive production, engineering *

– production, mixing * Skrillex – production, additional production * Jonny Coffer – production * DJ Dahi – production * Emile Haynie – production *

– production * Kid Harpoon – vocal production * Ilsey Juber – guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals * Matt Chamberlain – drums *

Dave Eggar Dave Eggar is an American cellist, pianist and composer. Early life Eggar was a musical prodigy as a child, beginning to play the cello and piano at age three and performing as a singer and actor on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera at ...

– cello, orchestration, string arrangements, viola * Brandon Wallace – orchestration, string arrangements * Scott Desmarais – assistance * Robin Florent – assistance *

FrancisGotHeat Francis Bach Hoang Nguyen-Tran (born 1996), known professionally as FrancisGotHeat, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his production with several well-known artists, most notably Drake, Bryson Tiller, and Big Sean. ...

– drum programming * Ryan Nasci – engineering * Chris Galland – mixing engineering * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Gabe Sackier – remixing * Dave Kutch – mastering * Jean-Baptiste – creative direction * Talbourdet Napoleone – creative direction * Chloéle Drezen – photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2018 albums Lykke Li albums RCA Records albums Albums produced by Malay (record producer) Albums produced by Jeff Bhasker Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer) Albums produced by Rostam Batmanglij Albums produced by DJ Dahi Albums produced by Emile Haynie Albums produced by Illangelo