Hi, everyone. Bigthony Grintano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of the new Porter Robinson album, SMILE! :D.

Yep, producer, singer, songwriter, DJ, Porter Robinson. Third full-length LP here and a Georgia native who at one point was one of the biggest and most exciting, bright, young faces to come out of the EDM scene. But years after his debut, he took a massive risk and decided to totally flip his style on its head, combining his electronica bonafides with fuzzy, blissed-out electropop. Of course, I'm talking about the beautiful, gorgeous, and moving 2021 album, Nurture.

And seemingly, Porter on this new LP here is going in a direction that relies even more on his singer-songwriter chops, because this SMILE :D album, its singles, have exhibited a very, very huge love for aughts-era synth pop, pop rock and pop punk. I mean, it may have been a slightly ironic joke, but recently, Porter went as far as to respond to an often repeated meme on music Twitter. That usually goes something like this: Presumably somebody who isn't white will bring up some long lost white pop or rock relic from the 2000s saying, "The white boys don't make music like this anymore." And in this case, it was actually the Metro Station song, "Shake It", of all things. And Porter posted in response to this a clip of his latest single and music video for the song, "Cheerleader", saying, "Yes, we do. What the fuck?"

Which, yes, does sound silly and preposterous, but there actually are some very valid and clear esthetic parallels between smile in that era of electronically tinged white emo pop rock. And sometimes these similarities have been brought up by fans in the lead up to this record as a cudgel against Porter, deriding songs on this album as sounding too emo or to like Owl City or something like that. I mean, I get it on some level because it does sound like those things could be a bit of a point of inspiration for this album, along with the likes of M83, MGM (very early MGMT), as well as the Postal Service, as well as a host of other much less flattering comparisons I could make to various shades of dramatic pop music that came out well over 20 years ago.

But what I want to say and make clear is that it's not inherently bad as a reference point for a new record per se, especially considering that the actual substance behind this sound on this Porter record here is actually quite good, meaning the production and the song structures, as well as the extremely personal, clever, and meta-songwriting that is laced throughout this album, it's impressive. As well as on par with all the effort that Porter put into Nurture, it's just a different vibe, and a vibe, mind you, that I don't even really think is that far off. I mean, it might be a bit more rock-oriented and snappy, but on multiple tracks here, we are still getting those boyish lead vocals, soaring choruses, as well as bright, fuzzy synthesizer leads.

With multiple tracks here, "Knock Yourself Out", "Mona Lisa", "Cheerleader", "Russian Roulette", as well as the "Kitsune Maison Freestyle" which has a bit of an 8-bit synth pop nod to it, as well as the tail end of the song "Easier to Love You". All these tracks feature those very elements, making for a very cohesive listen across this very tight record. It makes for a sound and a vibe that is very bright and cheery and positive and life-affirming, but simultaneously, when you dig into the deeper meaning of a lot of these tracks, they're really a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Take the opening track, "Knock Yourself Out", for example, which on the surface It reads like a hilarious ego trip, but there are some real weaknesses mixed in there, too, as Porter acknowledges that he wouldn't have the functionality and the stability that he does without his success or the team of people behind him. This track also acknowledges a history he has of reacting to maybe less than glowing praise that there has been of him and his work while finding the strength within him to pretty much let go and find solace in those who actually find worth in what he does.

There's also the track "Cheerleader", which narratively could be metaphorical on some level, especially considering how much of this album deals in fame and Porter's relationship to his audience. But this track paints a very obsessive, borderline, insane love dynamic, a very, If I can't have him, nobody else can, thing. As much as Porter acknowledges how awful and toxic that is, he simultaneously seems drawn to the love and adoration and blind support he gets from this person.

"Russian Roulette" brings things to a much heavier spot, even if this is one of the catchier songs on the record, because the track is really about overcoming a wish to die and being overwhelmed by the storm of tension, both positive and negative, he has received as a popular music artist. Things get pretty intense on the track as he makes mention of putting the gun against the thing that is stopping him. But then things on the track reach a powerful ending with Porter realizing what he would miss and what he leave behind were he to be gone.

In my opinion, the very heavily discussed Lil Wayne interview snippets that go into the track "Year of the Cup" may be a little heavy-handed, but still this song does feature as a nice, serene, acoustic ballad in the midst of all the emotional chaos of this record, with Porter reflecting on this track about instances of his behavior in the past that have left him feeling embarrassed or like just being a lesser version of himself, apologizing for the way that he is in one breath while in another, taking a a who are you to judge attitude.

The "Kitsune Maison Freestyle" has one of the sillier beats and I think funnier titles on the entire record, but lyrically, it's actually one of the deepest songs here, with Porter reflecting on steps that he had taken in the past to alter his image to be generally more appealing and marketable and having regrets and reservations about that and just getting caught up in the hustle of looking up to a certain standard when you're in the public eye.

The track "Easier to Love You" is another bit of meta-commentary. It's very much about self-care and growing into the person you want to be. The track also on some level works like a conversation with Porter's past self and also ties into another major theme on the album, perceptions of a person, be that coming from some outside party or from within.

"Mona Lisa" with Frost Children is another highlight on the record. It hits us with another big lovesick rocker before the album finishes out. And then its final moments are pretty decent as well, especially when it comes to the emotional powerhouse of a finisher. It offers everything to me, which, yes, does have an abrupt ending that I think could have went harder, could have come to a grander finale. But I still think it works as an effective meditation on Porter's love for his audience and the sometimes weirdly parasocial, I guess, existence that it takes. Because while, again, he does seem drawn to it, he acknowledges that he needs it. There are also some nods to the less than healthy aspects of it, the ways in which he is objectified and adored for not so much who he is, but for who people perceive him to be.

While he does have a love for his audience and the ability that they allow him to do what he does for a living, he also acknowledges that he still doesn't really know them. It's like, as he says in the song, he loves this person, he loves them, but he can't really say a name or their name. I mean, he does anyway, according to the narrative of the song. But again, there's not really a name to say when you're talking to a crowd of people.

I thought overall there were a few tracks that came off a bit bland instrumentally to my ears. Maybe there are some aspects of this artist-audience dynamic that could have been explored a bit further because lord knows there have been many, many, many, many, many, many an album released in the last several years where exactly this thing has been the focus. And I think it's debatable that there are records that have pretty much explored this very thing in a far more interesting and conceptual way. But still, that does not take away from the fact that Porter has hit us with a bunch of very snappy, colorful, catchy, and emotionally compelling songs that are quite revelatory and soul-bearing, too.

Even if it's not the biggest and greatest album you're going to hear that deals in these issues, it is still very holistic and complete in its own way. And not to mention, again, I feel like Porter does a great job of re-appropriating a lot of these pop and electronic pop and emo and pop punk aesthetics of the 2000s and bringing them together into a sound that feels very specific to him. But yeah, a lot of good things about this LP for sure, for sure.

I'm feeling a decent to strong 8 on this one.

Anthony Fantano, Porter Robinson, Forever.

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