Danish Artist Thyra Hilden released her first album entitled Love Drugs. The themes are love, heartache, courage, and paradoxes.
The music is Pop. The album has a fun 70s psychedelic vibe. The guitar and the piano together create dynamic compositions. The music reflects the paradoxes and internal emotional struggles.
The record has remarkably upbeat Electro-Pop beats- a mix of old-school and contemporary sounds. The song Touch reminds me of music heard in dance clubs where one is submersed in the music and forgets the world around them. It’s similar to 90s electro-pop. Fearless parallels Madonna’s singles Vogue and Express Yourself with a contemporary Pop sound. It also reminds me of Janet Jackson’s Doesn’t Really Matter. The edgy and empowering composition works well with the song’s message. Blind Love reminds me of Janet Jackson’s Together Again with a techno-style beat. The bold, fast-paced rhythm of the drums matches that of a heart beating fast. Ride The Tiger has terrific, engaging instant parallels to Katy Perry’s Fireworks. Synergy Twin has a remarkable sound that’s similar to a heartbeat. It reminds me of the exciting suspense music from video games. The compositions are rich and intricate.
The album has lovely, smooth ballads with incredible structure and depth. Compromise parallels Judy Kuhn’s Pocahontas song, The Colours of The Wind and Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The guitar gives it a cozy feel. The song Fading has a fantastic piano beat that resembles the music style of Coldplay’s 2015 single Hymn For The Weekend. The piece Love Drugs parallels David Bowie’s 1972 version of Space Oddity, Queen’s tune You Take My Breath Away, and Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence – all of which with an Electro-Pop sound. The song Trapped In Dreams has a sound that has a musical style parallel to Crush by Jennifer Paige, with a slower version rhythm. It has a fantastic sound with a dance vibe, like Justin Timberlake’s Rock Your Body. The 70s-style rhythm parallels Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love. The tune Dust has a Bjork vibe combined with Jazz-style beats. The composition creates a dream-like feeling as it sounds like a lullaby. The song Friend starts with a fantastic piano beat that parallels Bjork’s music. In the beginning, it reminds me of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U, then transitions into a beat similar to The Cranberries’ single Dreams. The composition is impressively intricate. Dawn has meditation-style music that is calming. It represents self-reflection and introspection within one’s place in the world.
The music is a phenomenal blend of musical styles that combine those of the 70s, 90s and contemporary beats smoothly put together.
Thyra Hilden’s voice is husky but soft. She sings in a whisper-like style, representing deep inner thoughts as if entering her mind. She performs each song in a soulful and heartfelt way.
The lyrics initially seem abstract until you read between the lines and hear the songs often to understand the complex human mind and spirit better. The album is a journey of soul-searching with impressive metaphors. The bold choice is choosing many one-word titles or simplistic phrases representing so much. These songs have heartfelt words expressed with remarkable depth.
The album has romantic songs that express the various aspects of love and the challenges. Compromise is a touching piece that describes the up and downs of love, especially the struggles. Also, there’s a silver lining, a sense of hope. It’s an intriguing choice breaking away from traditional poetry, with occasional rhyming. The simplicity of four-line paragraphs is well-structured and easy to follow. Fading is a metaphor for seeking escape from reality. It also describes the desire to live as one chooses with a partner. The lines of time feel blurred and free-spirited. Synergy Twin is a profound song about the importance of two hearts needed for love between two people to beat as one. It’s also about how love is constantly evolving with time and experience. Dawn represents the darkest moment in life. It’s a metaphor for how the sun rises again after darkness- the saddest moments transitioning into happier times.
The record has songs that favour women’s empowerment. Fearless has an inspirational message about being true to oneself, being one’s queen and having the courage to live life her way. I imagine the woman described in the song is an alter-ego or someone the girl aspires to be. Ride The Tiger is about taking charge of one’s life without restriction and discovering a world of possibilities with confidence and style.
The other component of the album is the emotional struggles humans face in life. Touch is a hopeful, profound post-breakup song about freedom after heartbreak. It also favours a form of self-love. Blind Love is about heartbreak caused by a partner who didn’t have a genuine or sincere love. It seemed too good to be true. The pain caused by lies and deception is relatable. The song Love Drugs feels as though love is addictive and blind. It’s also about getting lost – taking a leap of faith into uncertainty. The piece Trapped In Dreams is about how reality sometimes feels more complex than dreams. It also talks about the various life struggles, such as pills – some are good or better than others and the conflict of emotions in everyday life. It has a stream-of-consciousness in the way of expressing various thoughts. The tune Friend is about losing a friendship because it ended or that friend passed away- both cover heartache. Freestyle poetry reflects the stream of thoughts going through a person’s mind while grieving. Dust is a sad piece about a short-lived life, literally or metaphorically mourning a loss. The song is open to interpretation, which gives it a personal feel.
The words of each tune have a beautiful depth. Each song is well-written with dynamic poetry.
The album Love Drugs is available.
