It’s been way, way, way too long since Swedish pop sensation Robyn released an album of new material. Eight years is a long time to be away in the pop world, so with the arrival of her new album Honey, the drought is broken and she’s back and stronger than ever with one of her most sublime and innovative albums to date. She’s always had an experimental streak, but unfortunately some listeners have rejected her newfound atmospheric and introspective dark pop sound. But that’s the unhappy listener’s loss, not Robyn’s. Besides, she’s always subtly hinted at the possibility that one day she would go full-on Kate Bush, and that’s exactly what she’s done on Honey.
Witness the title track; within the first ten seconds of the song, it’s almost impossible not to hear the melodic DNA of “Running Up That Hill,” a brilliant song that not only hasn’t aged in 30 years, but has only grown more sublime with the passage of time. “Honey” has a downtempo beat and hushed vocals that only makes the lyrical promise of a lover’s willingness to offer a full devotion to her paramour all the more seductive. It is erotica that comes from maturity and adulthood, where fidelity and exclusivity and monogamy provide the greatest turn-on one would ever want. Honey is a fine come back and a stunningly mature album from an artist who has yet to peak creatively.
The Recoup 
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