Bleeding with candor, Porter Robinson is at his most vulnerable on “Russian Roulette,” the latest single released ahead of his long-awaited third album.
Robinson's reinvention of alt-pop becomes more and more compelling with every crumb he leaves along the way. SMILE! 😀which is set to release on July 26 via Mom+Pop. And with “Russian Roulette” he has written one of the best songs of her career.
Through lyrics as raw as an open wound, the song encapsulates the paradox of the modern artist: forced to commodify his innermost self while struggling to remain authentic amid the noise of our insipid world. The lyrics paint a haunting picture of a tortured Robinson in the throes of existential dread, using the metaphor of a deadly game of chance to convey not only a sense of detachment, but also a willingness to gamble with his life.
But beneath the lyrical darkness swirls a bubbling soundscape, a bullet coated in candy and laced with cyanide. Each hyper-poppian synth is a hollow point that pierces the veil of the song's naïve optimism, especially when Robinson surprises with a callback to his fan-favorite hit, 2014's “Sad Machine.”
“The saddest thing about my whole machine / She says, and she's right, 'It's up to me,'” he sings. Here she holds a blackened mirror, its tarnished surface reflecting the dark corners we all harbor but rarely face.
“Russian Roulette” finally becomes a powerful punch when Robinson, who in years past opened up about his struggle with depression, realizes that he wants to see his mom, thank his dad, kiss his cat, lose your phone and marry your wife. “One more time.” In a lyrical grenade of profound clarity, he shows that finding beauty in the little things is often difficult, but for those who can do it, those simple pleasures transform from mere moments into miracles.
Listen to “Russian Roulette” below and find the new single on streaming platforms here. Robinson fans can now purchase tickets to his first world tour, which will begin at the end of August 2024.
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