We have waited eight long years since the gorgeous Honey, and the music landscape has truly had a Robyn shaped void that has never quite been filled. Her return is therefore more than welcome with her newest outing Sexistential. In the time since her last release, Robyn has experienced a profound shift in her life after becoming a mother, a change that quietly informs many of the themes woven throughout this album.
Really Real is a cracking opener that sets the tone immediately. It sounds glitchy, futuristic, rich and gloriously camp. That sense of playful camp runs intricately through the record, giving the project a personality that feels both knowing and joyful. When it comes to Robyn, stellar production is always a given, and Sexistential delivers on that expectation from start to finish.
Highlight Dopamine explores the intoxicating pull of desire, framing love as a chemical high that feels irresistible even when you know better. Robyn leans into the science of attraction, presenting love as something driven by chemistry rather than pure emotion. Lines such as “I know it is just dopamine, but it feels so real to me” show a clear self awareness, while moments like “This is one of those ones where you have just got to give in” suggest a surrender to instinct and desire. The song captures that heady rush of connection where logic takes a back seat and feeling takes control, presenting romance as something powerful, fleeting and rooted firmly in the present moment.
Interestingly, many of the songs on the album were written years earlier, later revisited and shaped into this new project. Blow My Mind is a reworking of a track that first appeared on her 2002 album Don’t Stop The Music, now rewritten from its original perspective about a partner into something far more personal about her son. It is a subtle but meaningful shift that reflects the changes in her life since those early days.
The title track Sexistential is pure fun and feels almost like Robyn is reading straight from her diary over a pulsing synth beat, or embodying the girl in the smoking area at a rave spilling her thoughts with complete honesty. It is conversational, chaotic in the best way, and deeply human.
The album is a joyous return from Robyn. Where Honey felt brooding and spacious, Sexistential feels buoyant and carefree, recalling the effervescence of the Body Talk era while still sounding like an artist who has grown and lived. It is short, yet it leaves you feeling satisfied while still craving more and wanting to press play all over again. It is simply so good to have her back, and for now, I will not dwell on the possibility of having to wait another eight years for the next chapter.
4.5/5
