And Push, This Shit Is Sexistential
The fact that I’ve been writing for three weeks already and have not written about Robyn’s new album was surprising, especially to myself, as it came out on March 27. Better a month after the fact than never.
Robyn is one of my holy trinity of pop divas, a concept all queer people adhere to. Robyn fills a niche in music that you don’t know you need until you’re already neck-deep in it: jubilant, authentic, accessible, down-to-earth. Robyn is one of the best live performers I’ve ever seen, because she lays down all of her emotions as she sings, while dancing, while moving, while drawing you in. She performs the queer gospel, holding court with her congregants. She is popular across ethnicities, genders, nationalities. She is never anything less than or other than her true, complete self. She is not gay, but she is definitely queer. Most non-queer people have never heard of her; if they have, it’s usually just for “Dancing On My Own,” listed by many publications as one of the best songs of the 2010s, if not the single best. Since her complete self-reinvention in 2005, starting her own record label and going her own way, she has only released four studio albums (and several EPs).
Cue: Sexistential (2026). Robyn hadn’t released an album since 2018’s Honey, which, totally honestly, was my least-favorite Robyn album. She had a baby in April 2022 as a single mother by choice via IVF, shortly after the pandemic’s worst portion. It is an understatement to say that, among her (rabid) fandom, Sexistential was heavily anticipated. I cried when she released the lead single “Dopamine” and announced a forthcoming album. And with every consecutive pre-release, I got increasingly excited. On release day, I listened to the whole album three times. My thought processes around this album’s release was really what pushed me over the edge to start writing this blog.
So, it is fitting to write about Sexistential one month after its release, and to celebrate three weeks of daily blog posts. I just listened to it again, and it was simultaneously like hearing a brand new album and an old friend. It is so approachable, coming it at just under 30 minutes in total length—it’s a 9-track pop album, after all! Let’s get into it.
“Really Real”
This song is glitchy as hell and shows Robyn’s full production chops along with Klas Åhlund, her longtime production partner. Robotic samples and voice notes dot throughout song, but the lyrics of this one hit hard. It’s questioning reality, expressing disbelief at where her life has taken her, expressing gratitude for the journey.
But it’s the bridge of this song, starting at 2:28, that is the most remarkable. Robyn has an entire back-and-forth conversation with her mother, still questioning this reality. And then at 2:49, as soon as the bridge ends, the song rips into distorted guitars. The way she constructs songs are meant to be cathartic, and are they ever.
“Dopamine”
The first single released on this album, is a classic Robyn love song. All the synthetic synthesizer sounds in the world, a repeating syllable “Do Do Do Do,” and serious high notes. The chorus: “I know it’s just dopamine; but it feels so real to me; I’m tripping on our chemistry; it’s firing up inside of me; I just need to know; that I’m not alone.” Åhlund shares production on this song with Taio Cruz (remember him?). A solid power pop song, tinged with electro.
“Blow My Mind”
Here, Robyn covers a song: her own. “Blow My Mind” originally was on one of her less successful albums in the early 2000s, Don’t Stop the Music. On that album, the song was a catchy love song. This time, it is not only more in line with the production on this album, which has changed a lot since 2002, but she retooled the lyrics to be about her young child. The lyrics work remarkably well when sung about a lover or her own child. Hearing Robyn sing about her baby is the number one thing in my entire life that has ever made me want a baby of my own (don’t worry, I still don’t want one).
“Sucker for Love”
This song discusses Robyn’s tiredness with the male race and general happiness being alone.
I do feel like this song fits less well thematically on this album than any other. But don’t be mistaken; even what I consider the weakest song on the album is still a fantastic song! Compared to most other pop singers, “Sucker for Love” still outpaces pretty much any song on any album.
“It Don’t Mean A Thing”
Back to glitch. Although this song hearkens back to some of Robyn’s earliest work back in the 1990s, when her Max Martin-produced music had much heavier R&B influence. Lyrically, this song discusses a bad former relationship. It’s cute.
“Talk To Me”
In 1997, Robyn’s debut album was produced by Max Martin, who you may know as the producer behind a few minor bands like the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Céline Dion, *NSYNC, Ace of Base, P!nk, Taylor Swift, Kesha, Katy Perry…
Robyn spent several years in battles with record labels, trying to distance herself from the slick pop production sound afforded by Martin, the most successful record producer of modern times. In 2005, before her self-titled album that relaunched her career, Robyn started her own record label, Konichiwa Records. She did invite Martin back for one song on her 2010 album Body Talk, called “Time Machine.” But primarily she has worked with Klas Åhlund of Swedish punk band Teddybears. But here, again, Robyn invited back Max Martin, to great effect.
Now, Max Martin produced another album in 2025 by a certain unnamed pop star that I really disliked. “Talk To Me” shows that he’s still got it, and the sound is dependent on the artist singing it.
I have listened to this song 100 times since it came out in January. It has the signature glitch of this album, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about phone sex, and a hard-hitting chorus. But most importantly, this song is a certified banger. It’s so hard not to dance to it. I strongly encourage it.
“Sexistential”
When Robyn performed this song on The Late Show in January 2026, people who didn’t know Robyn laughed at her. On the surface, “Sexistential” is a silly rap song about Robyn’s journey becoming a single mom and her sexual reawakening thereafter. Okay, fuck it—it’s that same thing under the surface, too. Describing Adam Driver as the star of “Don’t Mess With the Zohan” is hilarious. Explicitly mentioning her experiences on Raya—a dating app for celebrities—is gutsy. It’s still so much fun, while still maintaining that signature Robyn authenticity. It’s a funny song, but possibly the most authentic song on the album. I’m laughing with her, not at her.
“Light Up”
This is the “light your lighter” song on Sexistential. It still works on any dance floor in the world. But it is preordained that on this tour, we will turn on our iPhone flashlights when she sings this. Speaking of: Robyn has forsaken San Francisco on this tour, so I’m talking with my friends about taking a trip to Mexico City to see her in September. She’s performing in Los Angeles, but it’s about the same cost to go to Mexico City, all things considered, and so much more fun.
“Into The Sun”
Robyn’s final songs on albums are always epic. This song again has a bit more of an R&B vibe. This song sees Robyn giving herself back into love, the topic she sings about the best. I think of it as a spiritual successor to “Dancing On My Own” from Body Talk, what happens after she has gotten through the heartbreak. Tucking the emotions back in and jumping back in with both feet first. And it is such a gorgeously produced song. If I were ever propelled into the sun, I hope I can hear this album one more time.
I’ll write about Body Talk another time—truly one of my top albums of all time. Top 5 for sure. That album, like this recent one, hit every emotion in my body at just the right time in my life. To Robyn, I am forever grateful for being such an integral part of my life.