Extreme (Molly Nilsson album)

Extreme is the ninth studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson, released on 15 January 2022.

Extreme
Studio album by
Molly Nilsson
Released15 January 2022 (2022-01-15)
Recorded2019–2020
StudioLighthouse Studios, Berlin
GenreSynth-pop
Length41:31
Label
  • Dark Skies Association
  • Night School
ProducerMolly Nilsson
Molly Nilsson chronology
2020
(2018)		 Extreme
(2022)
Singles from Extreme
  1. "Absolute Power"
    Released: 12 October 2021
  2. "Pompeii"
    Released: 22 November 2021
  3. "Sweet Smell of Success"
    Released: 13 January 2022
  4. "Obnoxiously Talented"
    Released: 25 April 2022

Background

Regarding the album's title, Nilsson gave the following explanation:

I was thinking about the title Extreme right after I'd made Twenty Twenty. At the time, I just thought that it was kind of a fun title—a good working title to [remind myself to] be playful and not hold myself back. It turned into thinking of 'extremes' in this black-and-white, polarized society, and the struggles between all the different sides and all these different ways of thinking.[1]

Production

After the release of her previous album 2020, Nilsson went through a period of "creative depression".[1] Extreme was then "largely written" in 2019 and "mainly recorded" in 2020.[2]

Themes

Power has been noted as the central topic on Extreme.[3][4] In the album's promotional material, label Night School Records wrote: "It's a record about power. About how to fight it, how to take it and how to share it."[5]

Promotion

"Absolute Power" was released as the album's first single on 12 October 2021, along with a music video.[6] "Pompeii" was released as the album's second music video on 22 November 2021.[7]

Release

The album was released on vinyl, CD, and as a digital download.[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Crack7/10[10]
Loud and Quiet6/10[11]
Mindies8.6/10[12]
Musikexpress[13]
Norman Records[14]
Spectrum Culture7.5/10[3]

Extreme received critical acclaim.[15] In a positive review, Tim Sendra of AllMusic called Extreme "both Nilsson's most interesting album and a striking reboot", citing her experimentation with "new moods" and “new genres".[9] Jana-Maria Mayer of German Musikexpress characterized the album as a "romantic indictment of the Anthropocene" and praised Nilsson's songwriting.[13]

Sophia McDonald of Loud and Quiet, in a mixed-to-positive review, considered Extreme "an LP that is generally surprising in its trajectory" and noted its "nostalgic fun", but criticized it for a lack of "closeness" and "intimacy" to Nilsson in comparison with earlier works.[11]

The closing track "Pompeii" was highlighted by Raphael Helfand of The Fader as a "happy-sad classic" that serves as a "rallying cry for resilience in the face of impossible odds".[2] The track was also praised by German Musikexpress.[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Molly Nilsson.

Extreme track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Absolute Power"3:49
2."Earth Girls"4:11
3."Fearless Like a Child"4:02
4."Kids Today"4:04
5."Intermezzo: The Wheel of Fortune"3:36
6."Sweet Smell of Success"4:20
7."Obnoxiously Talented"3:38
8."Avoid Heaven"3:37
9."Take Me to Your Leader"3:01
10."They Will Pay"2:42
11."Pompeii"4:31
Total length:41:31

References
  1. Blair, Ed (24 January 2022). "Where to Start Exploring the Dazzling World of Molly Nilsson". Bandcamp. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. Helfand, Raphael (18 January 2022). "Molly Nilsson fights the power on Extreme". The Fader. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. Pinfold, Will (12 June 2022). "Molly Nilsson: Extreme". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  4. Möller, Christoph (15 January 2022). "Pop-Hymnen über falsch verteilte Macht: "Extreme" von Molly Nilsson". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  5. "Molly Nilsson: Extreme | Night School Records". Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  6. Darville, Jordan (12 October 2021). "Molly Nilsson reveals new album Extreme, shares "Absolute Power"". The Fader. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. Darville, Jordan (22 November 2021). "Molly Nilsson shares new song/video "Pompeii"". The Fader. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. "Extreme, by Molly Nilsson". Molly Nilsson. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  9. Sendra, Tim. "Extreme Review by Tim Sendra". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  10. O'Neill, Lauren (27 January 2022). "Molly Nilsson: 'Extreme' review". Crack. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  11. McDonald, Sophia (10 January 2022). "Molly Nilsson - Extreme - Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  12. Rivas, Noé R. (18 January 2022). "Reseñamos el nuevo disco de Molly Nilsson". Mindies (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  13. Mayer, Jana-Maria (28 January 2022). "Review: Molly Nilsson - Extreme". Musikexpress (in German). Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  14. Mikardo-Greaves, Fred (27 May 2022). "Molly Nilsson - 'Extreme': Reviews". Norman Records. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  15. "ByteFM - Molly Nilsson". ByteFM (in German). Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
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