Extreme | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 January 2022 | |||
Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
Studio | Lighthouse Studios, Berlin | |||
Genre | Synth-pop | |||
Length | 41:31 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Molly Nilsson | |||
Molly Nilsson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Extreme | ||||
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Extreme is the ninth studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson, released on 15 January 2022.
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]
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]
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]
"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]
The album was released on vinyl, CD, and as a digital download.[8]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Crack | 7/10[10] |
Loud and Quiet | 6/10[11] |
Mindies | 8.6/10[12] |
Musikexpress | [13] |
Norman Records | [14] |
Spectrum Culture | 7.5/10[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]
All tracks are written by Molly Nilsson.
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |