So – the Robyn album due for release on June 15th has leaked! Earlier in the week, her hoards of online fans were delighted to find that the eight track album was available to download in its full HQ entirity. Opinions are varied and divided. Some are disappointingly underwhelmed by the whole thing, whilst others herald it as a masterpiece – a continuation of her fine form.
Here’s what we think, track by track;
Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do
Like on her last album, the self titled ‘Robyn’, Robyn opens this album with what perhaps sounds like the least commercial song on the record. But it proves to be a great intro to what’s to come over the next 30 minutes. It tells you that she’s progressing from the sound of the last album, but staying very faithful to the music. This track is big on beats, small on melody, but oh what beats they are. Ascending, descending, stuttering, and distracting you from what might otherwise be an irritating repetition of lyrics.
7/10
Fembots
More of the same, beat wise – but this one adds in a melody as addictive as its backing track. This song makes you want to dance like a loon – like a malfunctioning fembot, if you will! It’s definitely the catchiest song on here, and probably the most joyful too. Here’s an amazing performance of ‘Fembot’ from Swedish television earlier in the month;
9/10
Dancing On My Own
The album’s official first single, and rightfully so. This is without a doubt one of the best things she’s ever done, bettered only by ‘With Every Heartbeat’ and ‘The Girl & The Robot’. The lyrics are heart wrenching. We could type an example, but it’s hard to pick out a favourite, and it would only do an injustice to the rest. The pulsating electro synth backing track is the perfect accompaniment to the tone of the song. The highlight of the whole thing is the middle eight. A piano melody, a particularly fragile vocal delivery, and then the beat comes back like an intrusive wake up call. The fade out is beautiful too.
10/10
Cry When You Get Older
Another beauty. Sonically and lyrically, it’s been crafted absolutely perfectly. It’s not the most instant of the songs on here, and might get lost amongst the rest on first listen. But it doesn’t take long for it to stand out on its own as a great track, and is a wonderful addition to the album.
7.5/10
Dance Hall Queen
Electro dance hall reggae lite! And it works so much better than you would think. It’s really difficult to put in words what we think of it, and what we think it sounds like. We just know that we really like it!
7.5/10
None Of Dem
This is the Royksopp produced number. Like the album opener, this is one of the album’s darker, less commercial moments. But it also stands out as one of the best. The first few minutes are particularly dark. Then just when you think the song has finished, it comes back with a faster temper, sounding bigger than ever. Then the last minute is a bpm electro rave out, without vocals. The lyrics are delightfully disturbing too!
8/10
Hang With Me (acoustic version)
The proper version of this is being held back until ‘Body Talk pt2’. But we love this version of it anyway. The lyrics are the best on the whole record, which is quite an achievement on this album! And it’s backed with a piano, and some strings – only serving to accentuate the beauty of the melody and the lyrics. This woman is seriously a genius!
9/10
Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa
Here, Robyn covers an old Scandinavian classic, and sings in Swedish. It’s a simple ballad, with only a piano appearing at intervals as a backing. We’ve already mentioned the word beauty to describe this album quite a lot, but this song sums up the purest of beauty that exists on it. It’s short, sweet, and a fitting closure. And it’s so nice to hear Robyn sing in her native tongue.
10/10
Wow. We honestly didn’t realise how much we missed Robyn until we heard this. If she ever stops making music, it’ll be an immense loss.
