Porter Robinson Album Reviews

Porter Weston Robinson grew up in Chapel Hill, a town in North Carolina that also produced James Taylor, George Hamilton IV, and Ben Folds Five. The son of an attorney, Robinson was a debater at school. Self-taught, he started producing EDM as a pre-teen. He developed complextro, adding classically inspired melodies and complicated fills to his music.

Still in his teens, he caught the attention of Skrillex with his song ‘Say My Name’. He released the 11-track EP Spitfire in 2011. But with a massive career in EDM beckoning, Robinson changed direction.

Last year, I literally had like four or five full-blown anxiety attacks onstage. When I was in Australia, that’s when it was at its worst. I was yelling at fans, ‘Dance music is terrible!’ 

Porter Robinson, 2014, The Fader

The 2012 single ‘Language’ hinted at a more melodic direction, and his expansive debut album Worlds steered closer to pop/rock music. There were was a long gap before his sophomore album Nurture, although a trance EP under the alias Virtual Self helped feel the gap.

Porter Robinson Album Reviews

Worlds

2014, 7.5/10
By the time he released his debut album, Porter Robinson had shifted from EDM to electropop. He moved back to his parent’s house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and immersed himself in the soundtracks of Nintendo 64 video games from the 1990s and 2000s. He whittled the 50 tracks he’d been working on down to a 12-song tracklist.

Worlds is a long, unwieldy record. It runs for almost an hour and goes in many directions. ‘Lionhearted’ sounds surprisingly like Arcade Fire, especially Robinson’s breathy vocal. ‘Fellow Feeling’ juxtaposes majestic orchestral crescendos with spoken word sections. ‘Sea of Voices’ heads toward ambient music, albeit with a lot more crunch.

The punchy pop/rock songs at the start of the record are more indicative of Robinson’s future. Robinson’s ear for a tune is already present – ‘Sad Machine’ has a pretty chorus, and ‘Divinity’ has a terrific instrumental hook. The most striking track is ‘Flicker’, with its jerky rhythms and Robinson manically delivering the lyrics in Japanese.

Worlds has some great moments, but Robinson’s next two albums hone in on his strengths more effectively.

---

Virtual Self

2017
I plan to come back and cover this, but I like the Grammy-nominated ‘Ghost Voices’.

---

Nurture

2021, 7.5/10
Porter Robinson’s sophomore album took the best part of a decade to emerge. He struggled with writer’s block and depression. Compared with his debut, there’s more use of acoustic instruments and an exploration of the natural world in the lyrics.

Robinson often switches up his voice an octave on Nurture, giving it a feminine quality. Despite the synthetic textures, it’s often confessional with Robinson expressing vulnerability.

Robinson’s attempts at variety are appreciated, like the glitchy ‘Dullscythe’ and the acoustic folk of ‘Blossom’, where the feminised vocals are in full effect. But Nurture is a record that I cherry-pick for highlights rather than listen to the whole thing – the best moments are the high-energy yet vulnerable pop songs. ‘Look At The Sky’ is stuffed with synth hooks and an uplifting chorus, while ‘Something Comforting’ is a great example of Robinson’s ability to blend introspection and propulsion.

The best songs on Nurture are very strong.

---

Smile! 😀

2024, 8.5/10
2021’s impressive Nurture was often reflective and pretty. On Smile! 😀, Robinson turns the brashness up to 11 on the uptempo tracks. Tracks like ‘Everything To Me’ have the same prettiness and warmth as his Nurture work. Smile! 😀 sounds like two EPs stuck together. It’s hyperactive but charming – Robinson’s warm, humane voice is a major asset. It’s themed lyrically, with Robinson often exploring the fragile nature of fame in the internet stan era.

On the brash side, there’s a great opening track ‘Knock Yourself Out Xd’, with its analogue synth lead. ‘Perfect Pinterest Garden’ and ‘Cheerlead’ are other memorable uptempo tracks.

The six-minute ‘Russian Roulette’ is the centrepiece, reflecting both of the album’s moods, jumping from rock, to meditative ballad, and back to rocker. There’s meditative balladry to close the record, with the gorgeous ‘Is There Really No Happiness’ and ‘Everything To Me’ staying on the respectable side of sentimentality.

Robinson’s made another enjoyable record, he’s likeable no matter how obnoxious he tries to be.

10 Best Porter Robinson Songs

Look at the Sky
Knock Yourself Out Xd
Flicker
Ghost Voices
Perfect Pinterest Garden
Something Comforting
Language
Sad Machine
Russian Roulette
Divinity