Lykke Li So Sad So Sexy [Explicit Content]

Four years after the release of I Never Learn, Swedish singer/songwriter Lykke Li returned with another, more effective set of heartbreakers on so sad so sexy. Her first effort without longtime collaborator Bj?rn Yttling, so sad so sexy dips a toe into dark, atmospheric synth-forward pop, like a blend between the most morose of Lorde and Tove Lo's output. Executive produced by Li and Malay, the album also features work by Rostam Batmanglij, Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, and T-Minus, whose combined work for Kanye West, the Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and Lana Del Rey can be felt throughout the ten-song collection. So sad so sexy is mostly the former, a mournful and bittersweet examination of a relationship on its last legs that features atmospherics as cavernous and cold as a dead heart. Despite the overwhelming sadness cocooning the album, Li's voice sparkles in this fresh, hip-hop/pop-leaning arena. Of the comparatively upbeat selections, "jaguars in the air" and the sleek Amine/Skrillex-assis