Porter Robinson’s ‘SMILE :D’ is a testament to the power of creative liberation, as the artist fearlessly explores new sonic territories and confronts uncomfortable truths with unbridled enthusiasm.

Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: George Muncey.

"Every project I've done has been a total reinvention," says Porter Robinson. After helping lay the foundations for EDM with a string of early tracks and co-writing Zedd's massive dance-pop crossover hit 'Clarity', Porter's 2014 debut album 'Worlds' was a glitching, melodic bid for fantastical escapism that wanted more than big drops or sugary hooks. 2021's 'Nurture' took things even further. More stripped back and lush, the album saw Porter gently reckoning with relationships, mental health and belonging over intricate soundscapes.

"I guess the most surprising thing I could do now would be make something that retreads similar ground," he says before smirking. "But I just can't do that." True to his word, new album 'SMILE :D' is another bold leap into the unknown, thanks to a giddy collision of scrappy 00s guitar and the bratty confidence of hyperpop. "I wanted to make music that felt huge."

That feeling first came about while Porter was touring in support of 'Nurture', backed by a live band. At Firefly Festival, sharing the stage with the likes of Green Day, Bleachers, Wolf Alice, Yungblud and Haim, he playfully encouraged the audience to pelt him with glowsticks as he stood, arms outstretched, on top of an amplifier. "That's the spirit of 'SMILE :D'," he says. "It's maximum fun and has a real spirit of play." Every track hits just as hard, each one a self-contained burst of vibrant colour.

"I'd become so focused on writing music that felt so heartfelt and serious that I'd started denying the parts of me that were about wanting to have a good time. I wanted to bring that back," he explains, with 'SMILE :D' his attempt at making a "fun, exciting costume party of bravado."

"However, a lot of what came out of me was confessional, vulnerable and honest," Porter admits. But that combination of day-glo musical aggression and twisting, revealing lyrics excited him. "It wasn't what I was going for, but it's what ended up getting made," he shrugs.

Across 'SMILE :D', Porter confronts uncomfortable truths. "I just tried to say yes to everything that felt provocative to me," he says. Anything that felt too taboo, scary, self-aggrandising, or just plain stupid made the cut. "There are songs where I admit I sometimes want more attention than I'm currently getting. There's a part of me that's definitely addicted to fame. It feels shameful, but it's also true," Porter offers. He figured if it provoked a reaction in him, it would spark something within his audience. Take the line "Bitch, I'm Taylor Swift" from the sneering 'Knock Yourself Out XD'. "When I wrote that, I knew it was so unforgivably stupid, but there was nothing I could replace it with that conjured a stronger reaction from me." Before, he would have never shared that lyric with the world, not wanting to be misunderstood or wage war with Swift's fiercely protective fanbase. "Now, though... It's just funny, isn't it?" he offers. "The more you self-censor, the more boring your art becomes."

The first piece of music written for 'SMILE :D' was a dance-pop song that felt similar to 'Nurture''s 'Look At The Sky'. Porter figured it would be perfect for a companion EP, but then came 'Knock Yourself Out XD'. "That was the moment," he says. "That song has this bravado that's so different to everything that's come before. It was almost scary because I knew I was going to have to do so much work to realise this world," he grins. But the entire record was finished in 20 months, the same amount of time it took Porter to create the 2017 six-track 'Virtual-Self' EP.