''Loop Soup'' is the sixth studio album by Danish singer and songwriter

Oh Land Nanna Øland Fabricius (born 2 May 1985), better known by her stage name Oh Land, is a Danish musician, singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Early life Oh Land was born in Copenhagen, the daughter of Bendt Fabricius, an orga ...

. It was released on 29 September 2023 through Tusk or Tooth Records and the Universal Music Denmark. A musical departure from her 2019 album ''

Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations o ...

'', the

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

record was influenced by

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Bu ...

and 1970s films, and contains elements of disco, electro, and

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis ...

. Individual songs on the album were compared to the works of

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

, Dagny,

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

, and

Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take ...

. ''Loop Soup'' was produced by Nick Labajewska "Vasco" Madsen and her husband Adnan Zukanovic, and features guest collaborations with

Broods Broods is a New Zealand musical duo from Nelson, composed of Georgia Josiena Nott on lead vocals, with older brother and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Allan Joseph Nott on production and backing vocals. They released the single " Bridges", which ...

and

Ximena Sariñana Ximena Sariñana Rivera (; born October 29, 1985) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for her debut album, ''Mediocre''. Early life Ximena Sariñana was born in Guadalajar ...

. ''Loop Soup'' drew mixed reviews from critics. The album was supported by three singles prior to its release – " Bleeed", " My Freak", and "Bucket List" – and the promotional single " I'd Rather Sing". A music video was produced for the song "Pressure's On", and Oh Land toured Denmark in September and October 2023 to promote the record.

Background

In 2022, Oh Land released her first entirely Danish-language extended play, ''Xtra''. The next year, she resumed releasing music written in English, remarking that ultimately the songs themselves decide what language she writes in.

Songs and lyricism

Critics described ''Loop Soup'' as an

and

record. According to the singer, songs on the album were influenced by

and 1970s films, and specifically the German disco group

Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...

. It is a musical departure from her previous studio album, ''

'' (2019), which contained ballads and slower pop melodies. Critics also compared songs on ''Loop Soup'' to the works of

and

. Lyricism themes include critiques of social media,

beauty standards Physical attractiveness is the degree to which a person's physical features are considered aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. The term often implies sexual attractiveness or desirability, but can also be distinct from either. There are many ...

for women, and the concept of being a

starving artist {{Short description, Artist who focuses on their art above even their own well-being A starving artist is an artist who sacrifices material well-being in order to focus on their artwork. They typically live on minimum expenses, either for a lack ...

. Several of the album's songs were produced by Nick Labajewska Madsen under the name Vasco. ''Loop Soup'' opens with " I'd Rather Sing", a song about what is expected of an artist thrown into the industry. It opens with a "pulsating beat" before Oh Land delivers her vocals. The album's second song is " Bleeed", which has a danceable electro beat, and was compared to the works of Scandinavian singers

and Dagny. Its lyrics address the place of social media in society and how it contributes to unhealthy relationships, with Oh Land hoping that listeners will question their own media consumption. The third single "Bucket List" discusses

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning Meaning most comm ...

and finds Oh Land addressing her lover about his bucket list, if she were to unexpectedly die before him. It is a synth-pop song that contains elements of

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...

and nu-disco music. " My Freak" is a disco song backed by electric guitar and synth sounds with encouraging lyrics about loving someone for who they are, including their imperfections.

Promotion and singles

''Loop Soup'' was released in its entirety on 29 September 2023 through Tusk or Tooth Records and Universal Music Denmark. It was made available for digital consumption as well as a translucent LP. Danish artist Lasse Høgh handled the layout and packaging design of the LP edition, with the photographs of Oh Land, including its cover artwork, performed by Dennis Morton. Following the release of ''Loop Soup'', Oh Land returned as a judge on the seventeenth season of the Danish reality competition television series, ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...

''. Three singles were released from ''Loop Soup'' prior to September. "Bleeed" was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release ...

, on 14 April 2023. It was promoted by its first live performance at the Rock in Tivoli concert at

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

in May 2023, followed by an announcement of Oh Land's Danish tour with dates between October and November of that year. The second single, "My Freak", was released on 23 June along with the first details regarding ''Loop Soup'', which was officially announced. "Bucket List" was released as the following single on 25 August 2023. On the eve of her wedding to producer Adnan Zukanovic, the song was performed live in her backyard in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Additionally, "I'd Rather Sing" was released as a promotional single on 19 September, premiering exclusively for streaming on the music website mxdwn.com. A music video for "Pressure's On", partially created using

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

, was developed by Ida Kvetny and released in November 2023. It features a

gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gyno ...

dancer "gracefully dancing a ballet sequence against an otherworldly backdrop of cloud-like formations".

Critical reception

''Loop Soup'' received generally mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Mandy Rogers from

EQ Music EQ Music or EQ Music Blog (formerly Electroqueer.com) is an independent British music website and blog founded by American digital and music enthusiast Raj Rudolph. Alternative names include EQ and EQ Music; the site supports new electronic pop a ...

called it a "glorious album

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediate ...

some real gems on it", highlighting songs "I'd Rather Sing", "Bucket List", "Waiting", "100% Terrible", and "Artists Don't Smile". Rogers found some of the songs to "exhibit the style" of Oh Land's older works, which she enjoyed and ultimately wrote: "I highly recommend giving it a listen". In a more mixed review, Kristina Grønning from ''

Gaffa ''Gaffa'' (stylized as ''GAFFA'') is a free Nordic music magazine with local editions in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''Gaffa'' is Denmark's largest and oldest music magazine. It has been published since 1983 and has 320,000 print readers and ...

'' rated ''Loop Soup'' three out of six stars and opined, "You never know what Oh Land will serve up next. Will it be flamboyant

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

? Danish or English? Introverted piano ballads or maybe an opera? With 15 years behind, her discography is broad to say the least". ''

Ekstra Bladet ''Ekstra Bladet'' is a Danish tabloid newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen.About
(in Danish) ''E ...

''s Thomas Treo provided a score of two out of six stars, and was critical of the album's dance sound, which he described as "competently performed" but "dated and unfashionable" in comparison to recent releases by

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produ ...

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

; he wrote that "her ever-skyward phrasing and retro-futuristic

space pop Space age pop is a subgenre of pop and easy listening music associated with Mexican and American composers and songwriters in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s. Also known as bachelor pad music or lounge music,''Pulse'' (Monthly music diges ...

never take off definitively."

Track listing

* Credits adapted from the LP's liner notes.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

and the LP's liner notes. *

Nanna Øland Fabricius Nanna Øland Fabricius (born 2 May 1985), better known by her stage name Oh Land, is a Danish musician, singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Early life Oh Land was born in Copenhagen, the daughter of Bendt Fabricius, an orga ...

performer, writer, composer, synthesizer programming * Lara Andersson writer, composer (tracks 2, 3, 9) * Anders Bollmixing *

performer (track 6) * Lina Hanssonwriter, composer (track 5) * Nick Labajewska "Vasco" Madsenwriter, composer (tracks 2, 3, 5, 9), programming, synthesizer programming * Georgia Nottwriter, composer, vocals (track 6) *

performer, writer, composer, vocals (track 11) * Emil Thomsenmastering engineer * Adnan Zukanovicwriter, composer, producer (tracks 1, 4, 6-8, 10, 11), programming, synthesizer programming

Release history

References

External links

* {{Oh Land 2023 albums Electropop albums Oh Land albums