kickin' new flavor in ya ear

Listen to Wounded Rhymes on constant 

repeat any given day, and Lykke Li will 

speak to your woul. 

Wounded Rhymes, Lykke’s second 

album, is a bit darker and deeper than her 

first, but it feels truer. Fans that fell in love 

with her first album, Youth Novels, will 

be taken aback for a second. But just keep 

listening. She jumps between powerful 

and vulnerable, and you will want to hear 

the difference. 

This album was written after Lykke took 

an existentialist trip into the California 

desert. Wounded Rhymes is not suited for 

your stereotypical sunny California life- 

style, but more for a dreary rainy day. 

There are 10 tracks on this album, and 

each one has some kind of heartbreak at- 

tached to it.  It creates a deeper effect on 

the listeners and affects her voice in the 

best way. 

“Love Out of Lust” is kind of a love ode 

to someone that you like for the moment, 

but not forever: “I’d rather die in your arms 

than die lonesome.” Lykke is just saying 

that you’re good enough for now until I 

find something better. 

In “Unrequited Love,” Lykke sheds her 

emotions about getting over a guy who 

does not have the same feelings for her. 

Then, toward the end, she gives the song 

a ‘60s twist with shoo-wops in the back- 

ground of her singing. It adds a lot of soul. 

Her single “I Follow Rivers” has this up- 

beat tempo with tribal percussion and a 

line that goes, “Oh I’d follow, I’d follow you 

deep sea baby.” It’s kind of heartwarming 

to see affection like that in an album where 

it is lacking. 

It’s an angsty album talking about pain, 

heartache, needing someone, the blues 

and running away to a better place. It’s as 

if she hasn’t grown up yet.  It makes you 

realize that your problems when you were 

younger are unfortunately still prevalent as 

you grow.