{"id":945642,"date":"2026-05-08T08:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/945642\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T08:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:11:16","slug":"lykke-li-afterparty-review-a-brief-but-heady-last-round-from-the-swedish-alt-pop-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/945642\/","title":{"rendered":"Lykke Li \u2013 \u2018Afterparty\u2019 review: a brief but heady last round from the Swedish alt-pop icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLet\u2019s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,\u201d Lykke Li<\/a> told an audience gathered to hear her sixth studio album \u2018Afterparty\u2019 at a playback in Los Angeles earlier this year. Offsetting her need to make something more \u201cextroverted, impulsive and chaotic\u201d than predecessor \u2018EYEYE<\/a>\u2019, as she told NME<\/a>, against the cultural backdrop of Trump and AI while raising two kids, the Swedish alt-pop icon found herself in a place that \u201cfeels like it\u2019s 4am and the sun is going to rise\u201d. This is the last push before the hangover, the fear and the consequences kick in; a fitting feeling for what she\u2019s said could be her last album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some say goodbyes should be short, and this last waltz comes in at just nine songs and 24 minutes. \u201cNo angels here tonight, no dancing queens,\u201d she immediately sets the scene on opener and ode to those early hours sat cross-legged, \u2018Not Gon Cry\u2019 \u2013 with that plus the skittering pop-noir of \u2018Happy Now\u2019 and the inverted ABBA<\/a> disco of \u2018Lucky Now\u2019 blending the DNA of the danceable but raw alt-folk of her early work with that more streetwise strut from \u2018So Sad, So Sexy<\/a>\u2019 and the mirrorball flashes of 2019 Mark Ronson<\/a> collab \u2018Late Night Feelings<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The comedown comes early as the sumptuous sadness of the orchestral-led \u2018Famous Last Words\u2019 shares the lessons learned too late after a life of late nights (\u201cI had to crash and burn to tell the tale\u201d), before the sweet robotic acoustic ballad of \u2018Future Fear\u2019 meets the impending dread head-on (\u201cI\u2019m going to a dark place, do you need anything?\u201d). Then, the sunrise gem of \u2018So Happy I Could Die\u2019 recounts the moments that last from the witching hour while we\u2019re \u201cslipping through the hourglass\u201d.<\/p>\n

She paints a vivid picture of a messy night and morning after with the heart and honesty of her best work, seeking revenge to \u201cmake you beg for it\u201d after rejection on \u2018Sick Of Love\u2019 (imagine if a song could be a friend to Robyn<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Dancing On My Own\u2019). Album highlight and certain encore-starter \u2018Knife In The Heart\u2019 fulfils her mission to be the \u201crock god\u201d and \u201cfuck boy<\/a>\u201d, as she returns that \u201cyou can spit, you can walk on me\u201d but she won\u2019t be broken, all over one of the most entrancing bops she\u2019s made in years.<\/p>\n

Just like this album, the cinematic closer \u2018Euphoria\u2019 reminds us that life and times like these weren\u2019t built to last: \u201cPlayer play your song, waste the night away\u201d. With strings, beats and love, Lykke Li slammed down a heady shot to call time. Here\u2019s hoping she\u2019s got at least another round left in her.<\/p>\n

Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lykke<\/p>\n