Robyn - Sexistential

It turns out some people really didn't like the title-track from Robyn's most recent album 'Sexistential'. They actually got quite cross about it. Those people are absolutely no fun at parties.

The thing about Robyn - HRH, Queen of pop, crowns perched on crowns on her perfectly coiffured noggin - is that even if you think she's wrong, she's right. You're just behind her pop curve. That's the lesson of 'Sexistential': a record that shows one of modern pop music's greatest titans really can do it all, even if you're not quite sure how.

'Dopamine' is up there with Robyn's most effortless gems, a strobing, pulsing shot of exactly what it says on the tin. One for in the club, it's the definition of playing to your strengths. Elsewhere, there's a beautiful simplicity to some of the standout moments. Not to be confused with a lack of complexity, they're just crystal clear and direct. 'Blow My Mind' doesn't explode in the way you'd expect; instead, warping and winding through a repeating bassline and warm synth stabs. Carried on the back of Robyn's iconic vocal, it doesn't need the fuss to win. 'Sucker For Love' does something similar, just at pace, while 'Talk To Me' showcases all the chops of a 30-year-plus career at the top.

But it's 'Sexistential' that got the tongues wagging. Sure, it's not what you'd expect, but that's the point. This isn't post-'Brat' posture, it's assertive, aggressive and deliberately different. It's claiming the high ground and making a stand on it - the sort of thing that makes an artist three decades deep still as vital as she was in the mid-90s or late 00s. What it isn't, at any point, is boring.

As a klaxon to grab attention, it's a triumph - because the rest of 'Sexistential', the album, is a lesson in exactly what Robyn can do that nobody else quite can. From the euphoric-climax pull of 'Light Up' to the smouldering 'Into The Sun', this is what pop sounds like when one of its smartest minds is still moving faster than the crowd.