SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROBYN – SEXISTENTIAL

ROBYN 
SEXISTENTIAL
KONICHIWA RECORDS

Swedish songbird Robyn has been in the pop game since age 16. Her 1995 debut album included hits like “Show Me Love” and “Do You Know (What it Takes),” co-written with the legendary Max Martin. With a more thoughtful and mature sound than her teenybopper cohorts, she found more success in Europe than North America in the 90s and 2000s. But in 2010 her smash hit “Dancing on My Own” marked her return to the worldwide pop arena. A song about crushing loneliness set to a pulsating beat, it found success perhaps because its melancholy qualities mirrored the Recession-era cultural climate. Melancholic themes are a constant in Robyn’s work, especially her latest album, Sexistential, which chronicles post-pandemic loneliness, her IVF journey, and becoming a solo mom in her 40s.

The opening track, “Really Real” is Kylie Minogue meets Laurie Anderson. It starts off like a normal club song and then descends into stuttering synths, hissing, and voicemail sound clips. If Minogue’s “Padam Padam” is about losing yourself in the club and surrendering to the moment, “Really Real” is about second-guessing yourself and getting swallowed up in anxiety.

“Dopamine” opens with synths that sound uncannily like the THX sound effect that once played before movies. In keeping with that cinematic tone, this song feels a bit Brian De Palma-esque. It’s about trying to discern self-constructed fantasy from reality and wondering if what you feel is just a chemical reaction.

The strongest song is the vaporwave update of her 2002 track “Blow My Mind,” with rewritten lyrics that reflect her love for her young son. Let’s be honest: when pop stars become parents, they trade debauchery for diaper changes, and the coolness factor often diminishes. How are we supposed to shake our asses to twee songs about tiny socks and wooden blocks? Thankfully, this reimagined version of “Blow My Mind” is exhilarating, joyful, and not the least bit namby-pamby. Maybe creating life really is the ultimate rush.

The title track, “Sexistential,” about her IVF journey, unfortunately doesn’t land. It’s musically confusing (why is she rapping?) and somewhat lacking in vulnerability, with lyrics about Adam Driver and the elite dating app Raya. It’s reminiscent of Madonna’s divisive 2003 song “American Life,” which discussed nannies, doing Pilates, and drinking soy lattes. This prompts questions about pop music’s relationship with aging and why tracks like these can feel a little disarming: why is it jarring to hear pop divas narrating their midlife experiences? Must they be trapped forever in the club? Must they keep secret aging portraits hidden in their attics?

That said, closing track “Into the Sun” feels universal. According to Robyn, it was inspired by a book about the moon landing. The Apollo 13 astronauts knew that they might not come back from their journey, and even if they did, nothing would be the same. But they took the chance anyway. That’s true of any risk, whether it’s looking for love, starting a family, or creating art. Sexistential is a bit risky, uneven in parts, and it won’t land for everyone. But it is pure Robyn.

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