Un-American Activities
| Un-American Activities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 July 2024 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 2024[1] | |||
| Studios | Villa Aurora, California | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 30:24 | |||
| Labels |
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| Producer | Molly Nilsson | |||
| Molly Nilsson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Un-American Activities | ||||
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Un-American Activities is the tenth[a] studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson, released on 7 July 2024.
Production
[edit]The album was produced in Villa Aurora, the former home of Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Maria, as part of an artist residency that ran from January to March 2024.[1] It is Nilsson's first album where the cover artwork is not in black and white.[2]
Themes
[edit]The album has been described as Nilsson's "most nakedly political record yet",[3] with one writer stating that the album is "to be understood as a communist manifesto".[4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Indienauta | 8/10[5] |
| Le Devoir |   [6] |
| Mindies | 8.5/10[7] |
| Mondo Sonoro | 6/10[8] |
In a positive review for The Washington Post, Chris Richards named Un-American Activities as "[the] most underrated pop album" of the summer of 2024.[9] The album's song "The Communist Party" was ranked 44th on The Fader's list of the 50 best songs of 2024.[10]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Molly Nilsson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue: Proud Destiny" | 1:02 |
| 2. | "Excalibur" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Palestine (Somewhere over the Rainbow)" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Jackboots Return" | 3:07 |
| 5. | "Wetcheeks" | 2:42 |
| 6. | "Red Telephone" | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Naming Names" | 2:35 |
| 8. | "The Communist Party" | 2:21 |
| 9. | "The Beauty of the Duty" | 2:40 |
| 10. | "Point Doom" | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 30:24 | |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Un-American Activities, Nilsson’s tenth album, has erroneously been referred to as her eleventh album, including in the press release of her label Night School Records. This error can likely be traced back to Imaginations, her seventh album, falsely being referred to as her eighth album in the press release (although the following album, 2020, was then correctly referred to as her eighth album in the press release, too).
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Molly Nilsson - Composition". Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Michalzik, Stefan (28 August 2024). "Molly Nilssons Album „Un-American Activities" – Lieder von Gewalt und Unterdrückung". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ D'Souza, Shaad (24 July 2024). "Molly Nilsson's Synth-Pop Puts Politics Front and Center". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Hunold, Christopher (21 August 2024). "Molly Nilsson – Un-American Activities". HHV Mag (in German). Retrieved 30 May 2026. Quotation translated from the original German.
- ↑ Curto, Fernando (15 July 2024). "Molly Nilsson, 'Un-American Activities' (Dark Skies Association, 2024)". Indienauta (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Revert, Amélie (26 July 2024). "«Un-American Activities», Molly Nilsson". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Rivas, Noé R. (17 July 2024). "Crítica de 'Un-American Activities', el nuevo LP de Molly Nilsson". Mindies (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Julián, Raúl (9 August 2024). "Molly Nilsson, crítica de su disco Un-American Activities (2024)". Mondo Sonoro (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Richards, Chris (24 September 2024). "Molly Nilsson makes pop songs that speak unpopular truths". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Ross, Alex Robert (19 December 2024). "The 50 best songs of 2024". The Fader. Retrieved 30 May 2026.