No one will ever keep you company and then you die. True? Let’s ask this artist. Molly Nilsson is special for many reasons. One of them is that she is producing her own records and releasing them under her own label. A Swedish girl with Berlin address works diligently on her music development and she does not let anything keep from away from the track. She does not aspire for success and appraisals. She wants to keep on being simple and minimalistic. That does not mean the critics have not recognized her as a very interesting artist who has a great potential.
With her five albums, she always managed to brings eclecticism to the table. Consistently avant-garde Molly keeps on rocking on her sixth album Zenith. She shows you can stay unique and not give up on your style. The style is a mix of synth pop, minimalistic pop and elements of goth rock and electronic. Ofc, her signature black and white visual expression is present on the cover of the album. Musically, she is also black and white. Her music sounds like a soundtrack for film-noir. The dark atmosphere with melodic vocal that never take itself to the extreme is really attractive.
Molly is writing her own lyrics. Influenced by goth romances, existential philosophy and contemporary problems, she packs everything in obscure and melancholic texts with a sparkle of cynic. She is distant from her own creative process. When she sings about love, Molly is always ironic and sarcastic. Perfect example for it – Lovers Are Losers. It is a gorgeous synth-pop number that stands out on Zenith.
Opening track The Only Planet starts with line The lonely planet is the only planet for me, I know I’m terrible at saying hi, I’m even worse at saying good bye. These self-conscious lyrics are core of the album. Song about maturing and growing up called 1995 is another victory. Although I’m older now, There is still an emptiness that’s never letting go somehow. That feeling of horror and essential loneliness is what Molly is trying to confront with in her music. At the same time, she sings subtly about it. She is not afraid of loneliness or death, rather scared of ennui.
H.O.P.E and My Body are the most mature tracks, while Tomorrow is a meeting point of all the above mentioned feelings.
Zenith is dark and mysterious journey to the deepest paths of human psyche. It is a therapeutic threat for a listener. Listening to this album is a victory of an individualism. Listening to this album means enjoying in loneliness.
