2020 (Molly Nilsson album)

2020
Studio album by
Molly Nilsson
Released2 November 2018 (2018-11-02)
Recordedc. 2017–2018
StudioLighthouse Studios, Berlin
GenreSynth-pop
Length36:17
Label
  • Dark Skies Association
  • Night School
ProducerMolly Nilsson
Molly Nilsson chronology
Imaginations
(2017) 		2020
(2018) 		Extreme
(2022)
Singles from 2020
  1. "Serious Flowers"
    Released: 9 July 2018
  2. "A Slice of Lemon"
    Released: 10 August 2018
  3. "Days of Dust"
    Released: 11 September 2018
  4. "Gun Control"
    Released: 23 November 2018
  5. "Every Night Is New"
    Released: 21 December 2018

2020 (also written as 20/20, Twenty Twenty, and Twenty-Twenty) is the eighth studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson, released on 2 November 2018.

Background

The album takes its title from the year 2020,[1] inspired by posters for the 2020 Summer Olympics that Nilsson saw during a trip to Tokyo in 2017, and by the then-upcoming 2020 United States presidential election.[2][3][4] The fact that the year is a leap year and its similarity to "20/20 vision" also inspired Nilsson.[5]

Production

Nilsson started working on 2020 when the release of her previous album Imaginations was delayed.[6] As usual, the album was recorded in her own Lighthouse Studios in Berlin.[2]

Themes

2020 is set in the then-near future and is "at least a little bit of a concept album".[7]

The album has been described as political and anti-capitalist,[8][9] with one writer saying it is about the "thrill and terror of living in late-capitalist end times".[10] It deals with topics including the patriarchy,[11] climate change,[12] gun control,[4] and the passage of time.[2][12] Several writers highlighted the album's optimistic outlook despite the topics it addresses.[2][12]

Release and promotion

The album's first single "Serious Flowers" was released on 9 July 2018, along with a music video.[13] A second music video, for "A Slice of Lemon", followed on 10 August 2018.[14] On 11 September 2018, a third music video was released for "Days of Dust".[7]

2020 was released on vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and as a digital download on 2 November 2018.[15] It was available for streaming on NPR a week before its official release.[8] It was made available on Spotify around half a year after its original release.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Les Oreilles Curieuses8.5/10[4]
The Line of Best Fit7.5/10[1]
Loud and Quiet7/10[12]

The album received positive reviews. Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian rated the album "similarly excellent" as Nilsson's preceding album Imaginations (2017),[17] while Shaad D'Souza of The Fader declared it her "best album to date".[10]

In a positive review, Tim Sendra of AllMusic called the album Nilsson's "warmest, most accessible album yet", concluding that it "features Nilsson at her best as a songwriter, performer, and crafter of lightly gloomy synth pop".[16] In another positive review, Claire Biddles of The Line of Best Fit noted the "warmth of [Nilsson's] arrangements and lyrical sentiment" and described the album as an "excellent record about salvaging hope from worldly and interpersonal wreckage".[1] Ollie Rankine, in a positive review for Loud and Quiet, noted Nilsson's "vigour and optimism" in the face of a "gloomy forecast of our collective future".[12]

In a review of "Days of Dust", Sophie Kemp of Pitchfork said that the song "takes [its] listener to the final golden hour before the metaphorical end of the world" and noted its nostalgic, ironic, and macabre undertones.[18] Leah Mandel of NPR highlighted "Blinded by the Night" as "the record's most haunting track".[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Molly Nilsson.

2020 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Every Night is New"3:45
2."A Slice of Lemon"3:52
3."Out of the Blue"2:47
4."Your Shyness"3:32
5."Intermezzo: My Mental Motorcycle"3:10
6."Serious Flowers"4:03
7."I'm Your Fan"2:35
8."Gun Control"3:51
9."Days of Dust"3:32
10."Blinded by the Night"5:00
Total length:36:17

References

  1. ^ a b c Biddles, Claire (2 November 2018). "Molly Nilsson salvages hope from life's wreckage on Twenty Twenty". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mandel, Leah (25 October 2018). "Molly Nilsson's 'Twenty Twenty' Exposes The Fragments Of Life". NPR. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. ^ Katz, Juli (22 September 2019). "Molly Nilsson über ihre Musik: "Ich liebe Humor"". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Molly Nilsson – Twenty Twenty". Les Oreilles Curieuses. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  5. ^ Mandel, Leah (6 December 2017). "Talking to Molly Nilsson made me feel better about everything". The Fader. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  6. ^ Weirdo, Bobby (25 November 2018). "Molly Nilsson on New Album Twenty Twenty, The Importance of Context, and Excitement for the Next Decade". Weirdo Music Forever. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (11 September 2018). "Molly Nilsson – "Days Of Dust"". Stereogum. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b Goldfine, Jael (25 October 2018). "Stream Molly Nilsson's New Album Twenty Twenty". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  9. ^ Adam, Cherry (6 May 2019). "Entrevista a Molly Nilsson: "Es mejor, y a veces más constructivo, estar loco que triste."". Indienauta (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  10. ^ a b c D'Souza, Shaad (21 January 2021). "Molly Nilsson's 2021 vision". The Fader. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Molly Nilsson - Infos und News und Videos". ByteFM. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e Rankine, Ollie (18 October 2018). "Molly Nilsson 2020". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  13. ^ Green, Gil (9 July 2018). "Molly Nilsson - "Serious Flowers" Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  14. ^ Breihan, Tom (10 August 2018). "Molly Nilsson – "A Slice Of Lemon"". Stereogum. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Twenty Twenty, by Molly Nilsson". Molly Nilsson. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "Molly Nilsson - Twenty Twenty". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  17. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; @ben_bt (5 November 2018). "Molly Nilsson: the synthpop star embracing hope and loneliness". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  18. ^ Kemp, Sophie (13 September 2018). "Molly Nilsson: "Days of Dust" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 October 2023.