As the fervor surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI reaches new heights with each passing day that brings gamers closer to being reunited with their “beloved,” those on the sidelines of this video game still have other reasons to share in that anticipation. Mainly, of course, for the accompanying soundtrack. And, for Tove Lo fans, it’s an especial boon as she recorded a “bespoke” track for it in the form of “Blood in Your Eyes.” A title that some might sooner guess belonged to The Weeknd than Tove Lo. However, where both musicians tend to overlap is in their lyrical explorations of partying. Albeit with a slightly existential twist. And “Blood in Your Eyes” is no exception to that rule.
What’s more, the song doesn’t take long to reveal itself as one that could have been a contender for a Bond theme (particularly if the new “JB” turns out to be Robert Pattinson). This manifest in “dangerous stranger” lyrics like, “Love how you makin’ me feel/But you got somethin’ to hide.” However, as is to be expected of her, Tove renders most of the lyrics too “colloquial” for a Bond theme’s taste as she continues, “Deep scars [emotional and physical, one imagines], hunger for green bags [that means bags of cash, not weed, by the way]/Twisted, I like it like that/You’re my adrenaline crush/Natural amphetamine rush/Get my whip and I’m drunk.”
Of course, the prone-to-pearl-clutching might experience some outrage over the suggestion that Tove could be getting into her “whip” a.k.a. car and driving drunk, but that’s just the universe of Grand Theft Auto, innit? And in this iteration of that universe, Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval are at the center of it as they take up the mantle from Bonnie and Clyde and go on a spree of their own in the fictional state of Leonida, a milieu so clearly based on Florida (in part because that’s where all the fucked-up shit happens). And yes, Lucia’s character marks a momentous occasion for GTA in that she’s the game’s first female lead—it only took Rockstar nearly thirty years to get around to it (with 1997 marking the debut of the original game). Another sign of the inherent misogyny/gender bias of the video game industry. But bringing Lucia into the mix for such a high-profile, mainstream game is perhaps a sign of positive change.
Except for the fact that even before GTA VI’s release, Lucia already sounds as quintessentially self-serving as a man, with Rockstar describing her background and “objective” as follows: “More than anything else, Lucia wants the good life her mother has been dreaming of since her days in Liberty City. But rather than relying on half-baked fantasies, Lucia takes matters into her own hands” (in a way, that also actually reads like Adéla’s origin story before becoming famous).
To do that, Lucia (regardless of her “lone wolf” aura) aligns herself with Jason, a fellow grifter who identifies with Lucia’s pursuits in life. So it is that Tove paints the picture, “Bad boy, new place/An old town, dead space/Bored girl, cute face/We’re lost here, rough days.” Her ability to evoke such clear images of who Lucia and Jason are—as well as the environment they inhabit—with such clipped phrases speaks to the genius of Tove’s songwriting style. Co-produced by A Strut and Ilya, the thumping, 80s-inspired bassline only adds to the sense of exhilaration that Tove Lo captures through her lyrics, which were seemingly written from the perspective of Lucia, who knows damn well that Jason has blood in his eyes (an expression that refers to being out for revenge/generally pissed off over a slight), but figures, what the hell, he likes to “party hard” too. No doubt to stave off the boredom (and feed into the nihilism). Besides, she has plenty of blood in her own eyes to compete.
But that doesn’t mean they both can’t enjoy the party atmosphere of Leonida in between their Bonnie and Clyde antics. Which is why Tove repeats, “Party hard, I party hard, I party hard” during the chorus, harkening back to a line repeated by her husband, Charlie Twaddle, on Estrus’ “Roomie”: “I like to party.” And, considering there hasn’t been much of a “party in the USA” vibe since 2016, it’s no wonder that a Swede has to make it feel like there could be again. Never mind that she’s done so for a video game soundtrack that will ultimately punctuate the reality that people are sitting alone at home and not partying at all. Entirely focused on living in a fictional world that, while perhaps almost as insane as the real one, offers more respite and excitement to them than the latter.
+ There are no comments
Add yours