The Truth About Robyn's Honey

The Truth About Robyn's Honey

In her first studio album since 2010, international star Robyn reminds us about humanity, sadness and unapologetic fun.

By JT Lucas

I work in retail. Songs about getting familiar with a particular elderly overweight gentleman in hopes that he might bring you a diamond ring (*cough* “Santa Baby” *cough*) trigger me and do not offer me a great deal of comfort and joy. But behold! Our favorite Swede has left us a sugary, sticky-sweet gift under those pine trees we inexplicably kill for the season. I consider this to be a fourth quarter miracle! Konichiwa!

Admittedly, Robyn has been quite depressed over the last few years. Her eightyear absence from the music scene was caused by the death of a close friend and the (temporary) end of a serious relationship. For a while, it seemed certain that she never intended to return. From time to time, we would hear collaborations with Rökysopp, Metronomy, even The Lonely Island, but we were always left looking for that follow-up to Body Talk (2010). Then, a few months ago, we were offered a video of Robyn wearing her third-best bathrobe, telling her fans that she missed us and would reconnect with us via Honey, a new album that would come within the month. Shortly after, she released “Missing U,” and almost immediately, we were able to understand the reasons for her absence.

If I were to make a complaint about Honey, it’s that it is definitely short. Nine tracks and 40 minutes feels small compared to her time spent away, leaving me hoping that there might be a Honey, part 2. It’s her most ambient album to date, and even has a bit of a disco vibe at times. Although there aren’t many of her trademark moments of leaving your heart on the dance floor and dancing on your own through the tears, there is a wide range of emotional depth to this album, perhaps drawn from her experiences over the last 8 years.

The opening track, “Missing U,” is sad. It speaks to the most basic sadness triggers in losing someone: that empty space next to you in the bed, that scent that lingers on the pillow. “Send to Robin Immediately” tells us that we can’t afford to wait to tell someone how we feel with a real sense of urgency. “Ever Again” is an anthem for heartbreak survivors, proclaiming to the world that we will never ever experience heartbreak and sadness again, at least until the next time. In “Human Being,” Robyn explores a world in which AI has taken over the world and humans are something like a pet to them. Where does this range in emotional depth? It doesn’t. I just thought that was cool. But then again, I also thought that Robyn was a fembot.

Through most of Robyn’s adult career, there has been nothing ingenuine about any of her work. Honey is very honest, occasionally sad, weird at times (see: “Beach2k20”), but very unapologetically her. Those who fondly remember that sweaty show she had in Columbus back in 2011, in the middle of hot July at LC Pavilion (so named at that time), will be excited to know that she is going on tour in 2019! While she is not slated to have dates in Columbus at this time, she is absolutely worth traveling to see.

JT Lucas is a Columbus-based music enthusiast, frequent concert-goer and a Carly Rae Jepsen superfan.