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Porter Robinson is a name that doesn’t need a lot of introduction. First starting off as an EDM prodigy whose works culminate in 2014’s Worlds as his debut, his anxieties and depression led him to cut down his workload in producing considerably until 2021. His sophomore record, Nurture, was released with positive reviews that looked at it as a strong comeback effort. Highlights such as “Musician”, “Look at the Sky”, and “Get Your Wish” blend hard-hitting synths and rhythmic percussion with themes regarding achieving your dreams and optimism. Suffice to say, his music comes off as being a lot more human than many contemporaries.

Throughout his career, Robinson manages to build up a loyal following who relates to his introspective lyrics, inventive songwriting, and futuristic production. Adding to that is his geekish interests which include anime and manga alongside video games like League of Legends (he actually made a song for its developers at Riot Games), making him a nice fit among the chronically online such as myself. This relationship, given how the following are made up mostly of people just about his age or at their teens at least, can pave the way towards parasocial territories with idolisation becoming prevalent.  Simply put, they might like him to the point where they act like they definitely know him in real life even if they have previously never met face-to-face before in their lives.

It is worth noting that based on a mixture of both personal experiences and internet observation, Robinson isn’t the only person whose cult following happens to be fanatical to a considerable fault. This is a very, very apparent phenomenon that is common in fandoms, a diverse group who tends to flock together based on their love for an artist or media content and that is unignorable nowadays. SMILE! :D was initially made as a silly attempt at a party-oriented record, but the announcement tweet claimed that it had morphed into “[his] most fun, and maybe [his] most heartbreaking album”. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

Many listeners might come into the record with high expectations that it might blow their minds much as had happened in Worlds and Nurture and get out of it with deep disappointment. Around half of the album are upbeat, bitpop-esque bops that happen to be filled with a mix of electronic beats and another half happens to be more focused around ballads with an acoustic guitar and an analog bassline. This can range from the glitchy, echoing vocal sample on ‘Is There No Happiness?’ to the twee autotune and 8-bit pitching of ‘KNOCK YOURSELF OUT XD’. On top of that comes acoustic guitars, pop punk-esque riffs, and varying pacing to dictate the feeling of each track.

Yet, to argue that this dichotomy is enough to give the album its attention is an understatement. Underneath it contains some frank depictions of Robinson as the artist and his fandom whose admiration of him can flip on its head towards icky territories. And I mean that in a complimentary way as there are a lot of angles to show how the artist can be in the same spot as their fan and vice versa. ‘Mona Lisa’ features hyperpop-turned-indie pop darlings Frost Children whose cutesy singing underpins the rose-tinted glasses of idolisation through choppy vocal productions and guitar distortion. Definite highlight ‘Cheerleader’ plays with the fan stereotype as being obsessive and prone to moulding their perception beyond reality, but Robinson draws us in with his responsibility for such a state. In fact, amidst the thundering synths and guitar strums, he recognises that he’s more dependent on his fanbase than his fanbase depends on him. To put it in his words, “Now I feel you even when you are not there.”

‘Perfect Pinterest Garden’ and ‘Kitsune Maison Freestyle’ both deal with materialism as the main avenue to prove your worth. Yet, they both have their kind of textures and style that allows each other to flourish on their own all the while complimenting each other. ‘Perfect Pinterest Garden’ mixes the turn towards a more standard kind of rock with a subtly staccatoed blend of bassline and a pseudo-romantic feeling of settling down and having kids. On a social media platform based around image saving which hammers home the shallow attachment one might have with their idols. ‘Kitsune Maison Freestyle’ brings back the densely layered beat patterns and guitar playing while chaining it with the need to validate yourself through your fashion taste. Through the emphasis of clothing trends, there’s a lot of focus on how we erode our uniqueness by trying to fit in.

What is all the more interesting is the way that the theme of the artist-fan dynamic gets addressed indirectly through the confessional admittances of your personal flaws. ‘Easier to Love You’ feels like a subversion of Nurture’s ‘Blossom’ whereby a declaration of love is more about the search for self-appreciation with all of the regrets weighing down on oneself. The mix of basic chord progression and banjo finger playing helps to shine through the attempts made to love yourself even if it feels like you are constantly on the verge of self-sabotage. ‘Year of the Cup’ segues between the interview on Lil Wayne by Tim Westwood around addiction and the narrative about Robinson’s drinking problems and an ethereal production. The initial randomness of sampling a rapper whose brand revolves around drugs makes so much sense in its execution as the stripped-back instrumentation allows us to notice the similarities. There’s a certain charm within it that makes its supposed cringeness feel less apparent compared to the sense of commonality.

Of course, SMILE! :D shines at its brightest when it comes to the discovery of happiness and self-fulfilment. ‘Russian Roulette’ breaks out of depression by referencing online publications and memes that drives home the value of being alive which is emphasised through the multilayered whirlwind of synths and percussion. This feels all the more prevalent on the final verse where the anaphoric “I wanna” engenders the desire to keep on living even if it’s just for the simple pleasures or annoyances. After all, it does end with one simple reminder: “Don’t kill yourself, you idiot.” ‘Everything to Me’ is a fitting outro where its laidback tempo and seemingly undermixed bass shows an undying sense of gratitude Robinson has to his fandom for all the messiness that might come with trying to manage them. It might feel bittersweet in how there’s the possibility that it might be the last time that he might spend time with them. However, there is an assurance that the relationship itself is what counts.

SMILE! :D feels special. On the surface layer, it feels like a hodgepodge of Robinson’s signature danceable electropop and some feelsy indie pop ballads about his shortcomings. If you are hoping for the overwhelming sense of optimism like Nurture or the borderline between EDM and art pop in Worlds, don’t. SMILE! :D feels more nuanced, more careful, more deliberate in its composition and thematic structure where, above all else, it feels like a love letter to all the supporters who got your back over what is almost two decades’ worth of work. Its legacy will feel more subtle where, by the end of this decade, many might see it as a thesis on how fandoms could not only shape Robinson’s life for better or for worse, but on how it forever defines online culture. 

Give it a few more listens, think about your occasional adventures in fitting with a community that shares the same interests as you do, and consider your own projects. Maybe you might have done art for a living or a hobby and you managed to build up quite a following as an extension. Or you might be a streamer who coasts through on personality and extroversion. SMILE! :D allows us to evaluate the impact our art and acts have on others and on how our influences shape us. Even if it’s unintentional, Robinson’s outpouring of his emotions crystallises his latest work into an unforgettable and inseparable testament to the internet. Every electronica lover should give it a go.

4.8/5