Porter Robinson - Smile! :D (2024) Review
Porter Robinson released his new album Smile! :D a few weeks ago and I’m a big Porter fan so it was gonna be hard for me not to like it. This is a massive change of sound and direction compared to his two previous albums. Many older fans are upset by that but as a fan who jumped on the bandwagon after listening to Nurture, I saw nothing wrong with changing up styles and experimenting with new sounds. Artists should experiment and try new sounds, no one would like Worlds Part 2 or Nurture Part 2 as much as the first time he did it. It wouldn’t hit the same. It sort of reminds me of Interpol. I love Interpol, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t think a majority of their albums sound like they keep trying to please the Turn On the Bright Lights fans, and nothing they’ve ever released since even comes close to that album. All in all, experimentation is risky, sometimes it doesn’t work out, but sometimes (like in the case of Smile! :D) it leads to great things.
The album begins with “Knock Yourself Out XD” and I was pretty lukewarm on this song when it was first released. The lyrics are fine, pretty tongue-in-cheek, but it works better within the context of the album and its themes. I think this song is decent now, however, I still find it to be the weakest on the album. The track is the most pop-forward on the album with lyrics about how he thinks some fans perceive him and celebrities in general. The synth arpeggios during the verses are so soothing.
The next song on the album was the lead single, “Cheerleader.” This song is amazing and I listen to it a shit ton. He made a classic-sounding 2000s indie/electronic pop song. The vocals remind me of early Panic! at the Disco at times mixed with some Oracular Spectacular MGMT and some general emo-cringe scene bands. The use of dynamics on this track is great. The song absolutely slapped at the listening party and it’s gonna go over great live.
“Russian Roulette” was also one of the singles, though in retrospect this should’ve been swapped with “Is There Really No Happiness?” for single placement. This is a great song and the drop at the end is incredible. Loved this one from the first time I heard it. This is interesting because it’s sort of M83/Postal Service mixed with some Midwest emo and EDM elements. The bridge is awesome and I feel that it can essentially be a shoegaze song with some minor tweaks. I felt the same way about “Divinity” when he played it with a band at Second Sky. That can be a fantastic direction for him to take some My Bloody Valentine/Slowdive inspiration. Lots of people did not like the outro when the song was first released and I can understand that, it works much better within the album.
“Perfect Pinterest Garden” very much reminds me of The 1975 and The New Abnormal by The Strokes. There is a ton of Julian Casablancas written all over this song, especially the guitar work, the chord progression, and the melody during the final verse. This track is compact and does not overstay its welcome. I can visualize Porter doing a whole album going towards a more post-punk-influenced sound. That could be interesting especially if he adds some more grit and balls to his sound. This is one of the positive things about constantly switching his sound, he has no shackles and can try anything he wants now. He’s sort of set himself up the way King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard has where they basically try a new genre every single project.
The general consensus of “Year of the Cup” is that it’s the weakest track on the album but I do not feel that way. This speaks more about how he’s treated his fans and how his relationship with his fans has impacted him and how it has changed over time. I love the way the song glitches to an end. The song is solid, not bad, but not one of the top songs.
“Kitsune Maison Freestyle” is super catchy and a really sweet song. The spoken part is cringe as fuck but it doesn’t ruin the song or anything. He gave away a ton of cool clothes from shows and music videos for the release of this song and I was pretty upset he did it during bum-ass loser hours like on a Thursday at 2 pm when good, decent hard-working people are working but whatever. Someone that wasn’t me got the green Nurture jacket and I hope they have a bad day.
"Easier to Love You” is a pretty great song. This is when the album flips a bit and starts to take on a bit of an MGMT/Elliot Smith influence. I know Porter has said he was influenced by “Congratulations” by MGMT and has been enjoying Loss of Life and Alex G. Now I think Alex G is pretty overrated nowadays, but Porter does a good job of keeping the slower acoustic songs interesting on this album.
I like “Mona Lisa” especially lots of the production choices like the glitching and more electronic aspects used throughout the song. This is a solid example of mixing indie-pop with electronic elements. The last verse is kind of “meh” to me, but it’s not bad just feels a touch out of place compared to the rest of the song (sorry Frost Children.)
“Is There Really No Happiness?” is a contender for my favorite song on the album. I have been listening to this an absolute shit ton. It may be my most-played song since it came out. This feels like a perfect summation of Porter’s career to this point. It feels like it has elements of Worlds, Nurture, and Smile! :D all at the same time. What I mean is that it’s got a hook reminiscent of “Divinity,” with references to “Musician,” all presented as an indie-pop song.
“Everything To Me” is another heavily inspired by MGMT song. This is sort of in the vein of “Hand it Over” or “Congratulations.” The lyrics are beautiful and it was a great way to end the album. It was also a touching moment at the listening party, you could tell Porter genuinely cares about his fans.
I love that this project is basically dedicated to and about his fans. The concept is always interesting to learn about from an artist’s perspective. You can tell Porter really cares about his music and puts tons of effort into his work whether he’s trying his hand at emo indie pop or some crazy hardstyle shit he cooks up on stream. Porter is a great songwriter and not just “a great songwriter for an EDM artist” at this point. Even if you don’t like the new direction you gotta respect him for putting his all into this album, trying new things, and continually trying to improve his songwriting.
Speedrun the Album: “Cheerleader,” “Russian Roulette,” “Perfect Pinterest Garden,” “Easier to Love You,” “Is There Really No Happiness?,” “Everything to Me”
8/10 - Great