7/10

Throughout her tenure, Swedish pop artist Tove Styrke has been a name that has had trouble finding its feet. Since she first started releasing music over a decade ago, she has been forced to embark on a more commercial arena she simply isn't suited for. But since releasing her third LP 'Sway' in 2018, she has found a voice as one of the more progressive pop artists working the peripheries of the scene today. So with a huge boost in confidence now behind her, she returns with her fourth studio album 'HARD', a record that looks to establish her as a bold and forward-thinking artist from start to finish.

While her Scandinavian contemporaries have never found themselves short of inventive and engaging ideas, 'HARD' looks to offer something new and interesting throughout yet again. Although she still looks to largely inhabit the mainstream realm within this new collection, there are plenty of broad and shimmering textures running the length of this new full-length, giving us a fresh and captivating array of delights that see her push her sound as far as it will go.

Explosive and experimental in equal measure, 'HARD' looks to set itself up as one of the more adventurous pop releases of the year so far. Dabbling in a whole range of diverse aesthetics and atmospheres throughout, she is standing out as a true visionary on the scene right now.