Newcomers: Porter Robinson

Published: Sept. 6, 2024, 2:18 p.m.

Porter Robinson has a unique relationship with being famous. With his new record SMILE! :D, the 32 year old producer and DJ steps front and center into the spotlight for the first time in his career, working through his thoughts on fame in the process \u2014 something he says he\u2019s \u201caddicted\u201d to.\nThe first track on the record, \u201cKnock Yourself Out XD,\u201d is a hook-laden radio pop hit destined to sit on a neon green iPod shuffle, filled with chiptuned synth textures and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about what it means to contend with nuclear levels of celebrity. Robinson\u2019s voice is also front and center, unencumbered by the vocal manipulation and heavy production defining his two previous albums. \u201c\u201dKnock Yourself Out XD\u201d was me indulging that fantasy of like, This is so not a Porter Robinson song. Everyone's gonna hate this,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this is what seems really fun to me right now.\u201d\nThe rest of SMILE! :D juggles two truths about Robinson: his innate desire for a positive relationship with the culture that surrounds him, and his dark, introspective nature, highlighted on tracks with stark names like \u201cIs There Really No Happiness?\u201d.\xa0But \u201cKnock Yourself Out XD\u201d is deeply silly \u2013 filled with cheeky lyrics like the line \u201cBitch, I\u2019m Taylor Swift.\u201d\nIt\u2019s new territory for him, but Robinson\u2019s inclinations are, always, to \u201cburn everything down and start fresh.\u201d\xa0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices