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

Extreme is the ninth studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson, released on 15 January 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. 1 2 Blair, Ed (24 January 2022). "Where to Start Exploring the Dazzling World of Molly Nilsson". Bandcamp. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 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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