Album Review: "Honey" by Robyn – Variety



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Eight years can represent many eternities in the world of music, and it is very long for an artist not to release a new album. But if you're Sade, D'Angelo or, obviously, Rob Savyn, you can take your time, because your fans think it's worth the wait.

Indeed, after leading the smart-alt-pop charge with her eponymous albums and "Body Talk" and songs like "Dancing on My Own," Robyn has spent the last eight years doing everything seemingly except release a new Robyn album. She dropped a remix record (and did a tour behind) and a collaborative EP with her pals at Royksopp (and did a tour behind too), as well as tag teams with The Magic Bagatelle, the island lonely, Todd Rundgren, Mr. Tophat and Metronomy (the latter two collaborate on "Honey", alongside Kindness & # 39 ;, Adam Bainbridge and his long-time co-writer / producer, Klas Ahlund). It has also, as has been mentioned in all the recent articles that concern it, endured a heartbreaking rupture and followed intensive therapy.

All this is less mentioned for the historical context than for the artistic context: "Honey" has been hard won, and most of the above is present in the songs of the album, lyrical and / or atmospheric. The album is both exalted and tense, happy and sad. His meticulous arrangements, irreproachable production, and superimposed voice presuppose years of obsessive work, but he rarely gets bogged down in detail. It's perfectionist but not stiff; there is a spirit of freedom and abandonment that takes precedence over rigidity.

The main sound of the album is Robyn's shimmering pop and sweet and sour nuanced voice, but she also finds her exploring new neighborhoods. "Honey" is not a dance music album and is not even danced; instead, it's a pop album deeply inspired by dance music, especially a theory that Robyn has exposed in a recent interview – that unlike pop, where the reward comes down to a catch or a chorus, the reward is often constant in dance music. based around the stable throat. This circular and repetitive structure underlies several songs here, including the brilliant first single "Missing U", as well as more dance-oriented songs like "Send to Robin Immediately". [sic], "Between the lines" and "Beach 2K20". Almost all songs are powered by deep bass, which propels the rhythm without necessarily inspiring the tremor of loot.

The album ends with his most direct pop song, "Ever Again," a sublime and sublime sonic relief that ends with many multitrack Robyns singing the magnificent chorus of the song on an impulsive electric bass and synthesizer washes. It's a perfect match for an album that is both difficult and familiar, and a chorus she probably knew the listeners would have echoed in the head well after the end of "Honey". Hopefully this will not resonate until eight more years …

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