Tove Styrke has unveiled '
Space', the latest offering from her upcoming album 'The Afterparty'.
The track builds from sparse, meditative beginnings into a wall of sound, and was created entirely using analogue synthesisers from the 1970s and 1980s, live drums, and electric bass. No samples feature anywhere on the single or the wider album — everything was performed live in the room or generated through analogue machines.
Tove explains the inspiration behind the track: "'Space' is partly inspired by meditation. I wanted to make something that sounds the way that feels to me. The track explores the feeling of being incredibly small in the universe, and how that can feel both lonely and deeply reassuring at the same time. My favourite moment in the song might be the instrumental drum section at the end. I'm fascinated by the idea that you can explore the entire universe by looking inward. We're stardust. Everything that has ever existed is reflected inside us."
An accompanying music video, co-directed by Natalie Olenheim Boija and Tove herself, has also been released. She describes the visual: "The video is an ultra-macro, slow-motion journey through the body, seen as a landscape, an object floating through space. When you zoom in that close, we're all the same."
'Space' is the second single to emerge from 'The Afterparty', following January's '
Prayer'. Spanning 47 minutes and structured like a film score, the album unfolds through a continuous story arc designed to be heard from start to finish. Tove co-produced the record alongside a close-knit Swedish team comprising producer and co-writer Magnus Larsson, Joel Kiviaho (drummer and producer of Boko Yout), and songwriter Linnéa Martinsson (Lune).
Discussing the album's themes, Tove reveals: "It feels like we're living in the afterparty phase of our time. The album reflects on what that does to a person, told through the lens of an actual afterparty."
A run of intimate live performances centred around the album will begin with a Stockholm date, with additional European shows to follow. On her approach to the concerts, Tove says: "The album is written with a story arc, so I want the live experience to reflect that. I've chosen spaces that allows for a more focused way of listening while still having the ability to keep things playful and in the moment. I'm interested in breaking some of the distance between the 'stage' and the audience."
