Lykke Li has shared the first taster of new album ‘The Afterparty’ in the form of the intriguing single ‘Lucky Again’. Check it out below.
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The Swedish singer-songwriter has been dropping hints about new music for a while now, and suggested that the follow-up to 2022’s ‘EYEYE’ could be arriving later in 2026.
At the end of last month, she held a listening party for a select group of fans and confirmed that a new album called ‘The Afterparty’ was on the way, and could mark her final record.
Now, the singer has shared the first taster of the album in the form of the elaborate, inventive single ‘Lucky Again’.
The track sees Li lean into maximalist pop elements, introducing cascading disco strings, a pulsating rhythm, and pure, unrestrained energy. It also sees Li incorporate a sample of ‘Four Seasons’, and create what feels like a bird’s-eye view of survival.
“I was twirling around in love addiction for all those albums. Now I’m going into my existential era,” the artist shared.
“To me it’s samsara in a song. The wheel of life; winning, losing, living, dying. Having had something and praying you’ll have it again. Whether it’s sex, money, vitality, love,” she added. “I always said I wanted the Vivaldi song at my wedding or funeral but I think this is giving more revenge heist energy.”
As aforementioned, the record comes as the long-awaited follow-up to 2022’s ‘EYEYE’, and is set to tackle heavier themes than ever before. These will see the singer lean away from romantic fantasy, and instead confront motif of mortality, hedonism, and impermanence.
The cover for the record sees Li’s face warped by translucent tights, and she explained: “I find that we’re in an era where everyone is talking about, ‘My higher self’, F*** that. This is an album dealing with your lower self: your need for revenge, your shame, despair.”
She also quipped that her character in ‘The Afterparty’ is a “Ram Dass for fuckboys.” Visit here to pre-order the record.
Lykke Li’s last album was given a four-star review from NME when it was released in 2022, and praised as a “record that breathes, sighs and will leave you lost in the same dazed revery that these tracks were born from.”
Since sharing it, Li has gone on to share the anthemic standalone single ‘Midnight Shining’, put her own spin on Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’, and co-written the Miley Cyrus song ‘Beautiful That Way’, which was recorded for the 2025 Pamela Anderson film, The Last Showgirl.
She also shared a reimagined version of her track ‘Highway to Your Heart’ from ‘EYEYE’, titled ‘TЯAƎH ЯUOY OT YAWHӘIH’, and spoke to NME about how her outlook on the world was shaping her approach to new material.
As for 2026, this summer will see the artist join The Last Dinner Party, and more in supporting Wolf Alice at their biggest headline concert to date at London’s Finsbury Park.
The post Lykke Li captures “revenge heist energy” on single ‘Lucky Again’ to launch “Ram Dass for fuckboys” album ‘The Afterparty’ appeared first on NME.
