Why The Hell Do I Like Porter Robinson So Much?

"Russian Roulette," the third single off of Porter Robinson's month-old album SMILE! :D, contains the silliest verse I've heard all year. I'll print the excerpt in question, but first: if you're confused by the words "Pitchfork monkey piss review," you'll need a prerequisite.

Pitchfork reports
They're calling me, their words, "The big new thing," oh
YouTube review, funny monkey
Takes a piss into his own mouth, crazy

Unless it's a generational bellweather like Charli xcx or a playfully jaded grouch like Dan Bejar writing them, hyper-online, fourth-wall-breaking lyrics like this are sandpaper to my ears. The cheeky in-joke is exasperating enough, but Robinson's choice to deliver it in the tone of a 14-year-old Discord commenter makes it especially grating.

I went to a Porter Robinson concert last weekend. I didn't get a free press pass, nor did I go with the sole aim of bolstering a critical takedown for this newsletter. I bought a ticket because he's made a handful of my favorite pop songs of the last decade. My enthusiasm is as confounding to me as it is to everyone to whom I've tried to justify it.

"Russian Roulette" is a microcosm of all of my conflicting opinions. That verse is stupid, yes, but that cheesed-out synth lead? That life-affirming hook? That Swift-ian bridge? Those all explain why Robinson opens up a lighted runway to my pleasure center while other contemporary pop artists fumble around like 16-year-olds in the backseat of a car parked outside the reach of streetlights.

Yet again, my true Achilles' heel is my sentimentality. "Russian Roulette" ends with Robinson listing the tiny, everyday glimmers of joy that stave off suicidal ideation: parents, music, pets, partner. At the show, I fucking melted when he got to that part.

Robinson's 2014 debut, Worlds, garnered a level of critical praise rare for artists that emerged out of the EDM boom of the early 2010s. Contemporaries like Skrillex and Calvin Harris eventually got there by collaborating with pop stars and/or evolving past cheap-thrill formulas, but Robinson came in on the scene's tail end with a sound that was just close enough to waning indie-dance sounds to perk up the ears of hipsters eager to keep the party going. M83's widescreen synth-rock and Passion Pit's manic proto-hyperpop were the most commonly cited reference points.

I respect Worlds for what it is, but it was Nuture, 2021's long-overdue follow-up, that got me onboard. EDM's palette of fizzy lead synths and max-volume drums still guide the album's energetic peaks, but elsewhere it's clear that Robinson followed his youthful indie affinity into more obscure nooks and crannies that outline a unique vision. On the most extreme end, you get "Wind Tempos," a gorgeous, straight-up ambient composition. I could imagine Robinson's contemporaries using it as a brief interlude, but he allows it to drag on for six patient, glorious minutes.

Nuture's ambitious sprawl also introduced guitar-based songs with Robinson on lead vocals into his repertoire. His auto-tuned, pitch-shifted emoting fit in seamlessly with the hyperpop that had reached a fever pitch by 2021, to the degree that Robinson felt like a forebear rather than a calculating bandwagoneer. To this day, the coolest thing about Nuture to me is how weird it is compared to Worlds, which snuck unexpected influences into a mainstream sound, rather than making a big fuss about subverting the norm. By his second album, Robinson seemed assured enough to diverge altogether from EDM templates, but confident enough in his songwriting to retain fans that craved bangers. I still nerd out about all of Nuture's unexpected left turns, but I'm not ashamed to admit that the one song that cemented me as a Porter Robinson fan is, undeniably, a banger.

Everything I want to say about "Musician" feels hyperbolic:

-Porter Robinson is a better top-line melody writer than every behind-the-scenes songwriter that spends their life toiling away in LA studios on a major label's dime.

-There hasn't been anyone capable of chopping an obscure sample into a hook like this since the early-2010s heyday of Harry Fraud and Clams Casino.

-I never feel as alive as I do when I'm listening to "Musician" by Porter Robinson

The singles that rolled out before SMILE! :D built on this template, with Robinson wielding his EDM background in service of bonafide pop songs. First offering "Knock Yourself Out XD" is nearly as perfect as "Musician"—the nerd in me was especially excited to hear the GarageBand hi-hat preset that Tricky Stewart used on Rihanna's "Umbrella." "Cheerleader" isn't quite as catchy, but it gets bonus points for addressing toxic standom in a concerned-but-empathetic tone that I haven't heard another artist match. "Russian Roulette" was the third and final pre-release offering.

When the rest of SMILE! :D turned out to be less beat-driven emo-pop in the vein of Mk.gee and tour opener ericdoa, I wasn't surprised so much as disappointed. Some songs are decent enough, but none fully utilize the pop-genius skillset that defines my favorite Robinson output, nor the eclectic experimentalism of Nurture.

I was relieved to learn that Robinson's current tour consists of album-specific mini-sets in reverse chronological order—I had plans to meet up with friends after the show, and after hearing SMILE! :D in full, my only goal was to hear the handful of songs from the last two albums that excite me most.

In the wake of Oasis' recent reunion announcement, I've seen a ton of people crack jokes about Gen Z'ers buying tickets just to hear "Wonderwall." That's basically what I did when I decided to go see Porter Robinson. I knew the bulk of the show wouldn't merit the price of admission, and while some performances surprised me, that held true.

The bangers made it so worthwhile though. It wasn't that they were noticeably improved by Robinson's full-band setup; it was the sheer catharsis of experiencing them in a live setting surrounded by fans much more devoted than I am. The crowd was obnoxious in the ways I've come to expect from EDM fans—why were so many people wearing rubber duckies on their heads?—but much like Robinson's music, the earnestness overshadowed surface-level red flags I've built up over the years.

I understand why Porter Robinson raises hackles more clearly than I understand why his best songs impact me on such a deep level. But I also know that my enjoyment isn't trolling or contrarianism. Instead of allowing that conundrum to send me into an identity crisis, I think I'll take solace in the fact that music that seems so antithetical to my tastes is still capable of awakening some dormant joy inside of me.

BOI (Best Of Inbox) #39

Entheos - "An End to Everything"

Location: Santa Cruz // Genre: alt-metal // RIYL: Gojira, Between The Buried And Me // From: An End to Everything EP, out 10/25

Ethel Cain - "For Sure" (American Football cover)

Location: Tallahassee // Genre: post-rock // RIYL: uh, American Football // From: American Football (Covers), out 10/18

Grumpy - "Saltlick"

Location: NYC // Genre: weirdly country-ish hyperpop // RIYL: This Is Lorelei-meets-100 Gecs // From: Wolfed EP, out 10/25

John Roseboro & Mei Semones - "Johnny"

Location: Brooklyn // Genre: bossa-nova pop // RIYL: João Gilberto, any of the Mei Semones songs I've featured on here in the past

Peel Dream Magazine - "Wish You Well"

Location: LA // Genre: psychedelic electro-pop // RIYL: Stereolab, Air // From: Rose Main Reading Room, out now

All Inbox Infinity picks are available in playlist form via Apple Music and Spotify.