Robyn is back with another electropop delight, her eighth studio release in what has been an illustrious career. The Swedish singer is a veteran of the scene, releasing her first album in 1995, and Honey certainly contains nostalgic bits of that era’s techno-dance scene. Despite this, however, Honey feels as fresh as anything her contemporaries have put out. Tracks ebb and flow between upbeat takes and chill, bare-bones numbers that Robyn delivers with powerful authenticity. The emotional rawness of Honey actually stems from the death of a longtime friend and collaborator. The lyrics took Robyn over two years to complete, which should tell you just how different this collection of songs are from the typical cookie-cutter pop record. The work is not something Robyn needed to produce to fulfill a contractual obligation for a record label, but something she felt compelled to produce as a homage to her friend. In short, Robyn is truly awesome (do yourself a favor and look up her SNL appearance from 2011).
Sean Schultz is a lifelong musician who enjoys consuming popular culture. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, new baby daughter and two dogs.
