Robyn’s “Honey” And House Pop
I’ve gotten a kick listening to Robyn’s new album, “Honey,” and almost as big a one reading this brief history of House pop in Pitchfork: ‘Coming out of the disco scene, house music originated in the early 1980s as a form of solace and escape. In underground venues like the Warehouse in Chicago (where the name “house†originated) and New York’s Paradise Garage, queer, black partygoers could lose themselves within the hypnotic 4/4 beat and
find acceptance on the dancefloor. Robyn often nods to this philosophy in her yearning alt-pop anthems, but her new album Honey homes in on more specific sonic references to house music. “Between the Lines†features bouncy house chords, “Send to Robin Immediately†samples the throbbing percussion of Lil Louis’ 1989 hit “French Kiss,†and the foundation of “Missing U†is a glittering synth arpeggio. “Once you get into this way of relating to dance music in a club that’s really about being in the space you’re in and feeling your emotion with the people that are there and just enjoying it together, the music changes,†she recently told Pitchfork. “Pop songs have their peaks, but with club music, it’s about the groove and liking where you’re at in that moment, riding a wave. Dancing changed my way of listening to music.‒
