She knows what she’s talking about. The eleventh album by the uncrowned Swedish DIY wave-pop queen carries the title Amateur not only because its Latin root means “love” – and none of us are really professionals in that department – but also because it poses questions about art and passion within the constraints of a capitalist system. Are you a professional if you operate and release within established structures – or rather if you do everything yourself and know every craft inside out? Of course, being only partly dependent on making a living from your passion is a luxury not everyone can afford, but let’s get to the music.
Even after a decade and a half, her hymnal lo-fi wave-pop remains unmatched, every keyboard note sounding as if played in the presence of a fog machine. At times the punk bursts out of the songs (»Get A Life«), elsewhere she pens nostalgic house bangers (»Classified«), and then – if you listen closely – you might even detect a hint of schlager (»How Much Is The World«). And while much of this music may hide behind walls of reverb and haze, every message hits its mark. For Molly Nilsson, the political has long been just as important as the personal. No, not all answers are found here (»We’re probably cursed / Or maybe we were blessed«). Are there professionals who could take this on? Doesn’t matter. We have to dance.
Amateur
