Molly Nilsson is a Swedish synth-pop artist, who recently released her eighth studio album. Even though the tunes on the album are more influenced by the personal than the political, the mood of the music is heavily influenced by the current political climate.

This is evident on the opening track “Every Night Is New,” which refers to “a late capitalist night,” in “pre-apocalypse times.”

One of the album’s highlights is “Gun Control.” Many of the lyrics are metaphorical, poetically comparing the human soul to what it’s like to be punctured by a bullet hole.

Even though it is not a protest song in the traditional sense, the lyrics make powerful statements that resonate in light of current youth-led protest movements.

“Why not listen to the youth when you need them?”

“Why resist to see the future when you see it?”

“When you know the past is already gone and it’s already done”

“Now put your faith in the young!”

The increase in youth activism on issues, such as gun violence, renew hope that long-awaited change may be possible.

Nilsson’s lyrics remind us that it is the youth, who inherit the consequences of the bad decisions of the older generation. It is the current generation that faces the prospect of going to school with the fear of being shot. It is the young that face the prospect that the planet will become inhabitable as a result of adult greed.

With what is at stake, now is the time to finally listen to youthful pleas for change. The status quo based on old corrupt political ideologies has failed miserably. Let the youth inspire us to create something new.