Molly Nilsson - Twenty Twenty LP

Twenty Twenty is Molly Nilsson’s eighth album: the latest opus of an artist in a constant state of development and strength. In 2018, with the climate changing, democracy crumbling, inequality and injustice erupting, this album examines the near future, seeking clarity, reflection, renewal and opportunity. It contains anthems so tall as to induce vertigo, leaving the taste of Euro-dance in the mouth, albeit without a four on the floor beat. Here, the pop auteur is haunted by the late Prince, channelling Courtney Love and Lou Reed, anger and love. Recorded as ever in her own Lighthouse Studios and co-released with her imprint Dark Skies Association, the record is consistent in strategy and approach to past releases, yet on this one Nilsson pushes the limits of the scope of a pop song even further. Despite working with used keyboard sounds that evoke memories of a distorted past, the sound is distinctly contemporary. The record drifts between playful punk methods and hi-fi ideas, strikingly clear through the fuzz of a surrounding world painted with reverb.