Robyn- Sexistential
Label: Young
Producers: Robyn, Oscar Holter, Klas Ahlund
The sixteenth studio set from Swedish dance queen, Robyn arrives eight years after its predecessor, the dazzling and reflective Honey, and follows a pivotal personal period for the singer which culminated with becoming a single mother in 2023. The music crafted for this record is certainly informed by that milestone. But it has also been proclaimed by the artist herself as a return to the infectious dance drama of 2010’s Body Talk, a universally acclaimed high-point in Robyn’s three-decade discography, anchored by the global smash, “Dancing On My Own”, a modern pop classic and an intimidatingly high bar for her to set for the music contained on Sexistential.
There’s not any track that immediately strikes the same iconic cord as that singular moment, but as an overall body of work, Sexistential unquestionably radiates as one of the more seductively intriguing and surprising pop or dance records to emerge in recent memory. Her voice itself remains unflinchingly rooted in that singular sweet spot that has always been her ultimate calling card; that almost devastatingly charming tone that also provides an intoxicating, classic bubblegum sugar-rush. It’s this unique vocal blend that has always allowed her signature brand of dance music to be as poignant and confessional as it is contagiously bopping. Introductory number “Really Real” immediately captures all of this in one fell swoop, with a whiplashing production palette that zig-zags between melancholy pop balladry, hypnotizing synth, trap beats, rock hooks, and vocal interludes, all within the first song.
This kind of heavy production can be a risky venture, even in the dance realm when it’s just expected, especially when it’s accompanying as gorgeously emotional of a voice as Robyn’s. She is a tremendous vocalist first and foremost, not one of those young pop-tarts that require a lot of production or choreography to compensate for her raw limitations. She and her long-time production team have always understood this for the most part, and continue to walk that fine line with precision throughout Sexistential.
That album title in itself also implies a thematic balance that Robyn straddles throughout the record: one that is unabashedly sexually charged, but also deeply ruminative. And again, that’s a middle-ground that caters perfectly to the aforementioned complexities of Robyn’s singing voice. That combination of emotional pathos and delectable dance energy beats proudly at the core of bops like the Daft Punk-recalling “Dopamine”, where she deals with the overwhelming avalanche of emotions that come with a new relationship by dismissing them as nothing but a scientific bodily reaction. Or on “Talk to Me”, a throwback to the primal craze of phone sex that doubles as entendre about about both orgasming and coping with loneliness.
Her new perspective as a mother takes center-stage on a bold lyrical reworking of “Blow My Mind”, a track from her 2002 album, Don’t Stop the Music. Transforming a previously straight-forward sex jam into one signifying the overall experience of new motherhood (and at times, specifically breast-feeding) is a risky move, but it’s one that Robyn executes impressively, and in turn elevates the core message behind the entire album. This record is about how one’s sexual identity and agency evolve through life’s various stages, with motherhood certainly serving as the most pivotal. When so many popular songs written in the aftermath of parenthood are sentimentally cliched and predictable, this one throws a jaw-dropping swerve.
The title track itself proves to be another flabbergasting surprise, and while it’s one that didn’t seem to translate very well to the live stage during a recent performance on The Late Show, it’s one of the more memorably and satisfying swings within the context of the album itself. It finds Robyn flat-out rapping about cruising for hook-ups while undergoing IVF for her aforementioned pregnancy. She pulls it off convincingly well, and it proves to be an evolutionary moment not just for her own music, but for the topical landscape of contemporary pop music as well.
But as fetching as this momentary curve-ball is, and as infectious as the heavily-produced electropop bangers are throughout Sexistential, it’s a refreshing delight to hear Robyn refocus on straight-forward singing as the album reaches its homestretch. Moments like “Light Up” and “Into the Sun” not only put a satisfying bow on the album’s topical arc, with a simultaneously feeling of both finality but also renewed hope, but they also spotlight how untouchable her voice’s emotive magic remains all these years later. These moments could still give the latest Ariana Grande ballad a run for its money, and serve as reminders as to what a low-key influence Robyn has been on today’s modern pop songbirds and dance divas. And if they’re attuned enough to give Sexistential some attention, there’d be plenty more fresh creative and stylistic influence to be found.
Track Listing:
- “Really Real” (Robyn, Klas Ahlund, Jonathan Bates, Joseph Mount)
- “Dopamine” (Robyn, Ahlund, Taio Cruz)
- “Blow My Mind” (Robyn, Ahlund, Alexander Kronlund)
- “Sucker For Love” (Robyn, Ahlund, Mount, Svein Berge)
- “It Don’t Mean A Thing” (Robyn, Ahlund, Elvira Anderfjard)
- “Talk to Me” (Robyn, Ahlund, Martin Sandberg, Oscar Holter)
- “Sexistential” (Robyn, Ahlund)
- “Light Up” (Robyn, Ahlund, Markus Jagerstedt)
- “Into the Sun” (Robyn, Ahlund, Sandberg, Holter)
The 706 
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