‘Worlds’ by Porter Robinson (8/10)

This debut album arrived from Porter Robinson - a young and rising (at the time) electronic producer from North Carolina.

Before this magical and ethereal piece of art was released in 2014, Robinson was busy dropping various singles through the online music store - Beatport. Through the traction gained from these popular singles, Robinson eventually signed to a one-EP deal with the Skrillex-led music label, OWSLA. With this new deal, Robinson released his eleven-track EP titled ‘Spitfire’, which subsequently crashed Beatport’s website and topped the iTunes Dance charts. Only at 19, Porter Robinson had accumulated widespread popularity in the EDM scene and this created more pressure for the young producer to release more ‘drop-based’ songs he was popular for.

After the release of Spitfire, Robinson became busy touring with his fellow OWSLA members at the time - Skrillex and Zedd. Along with this, he dropped the single ‘Language’ which albeit, was more dreamy and melodic than his previous records but still gained the same popularity and more; his music was played on various popular radio stations across the world. This single, along with ‘I’m on Fire’ would the last piece of work we hear from Robinson (excluding the Mat Zo collaboration) for two years, until the release of Worlds in 2014.

To begin with, I have to admit that there will be some bias in this review. I’ll try to remain as impartial as I can but I just wanted to make it clear that Worlds was the album that made me branch out into other subtypes of EDM, rather than staying with the usual dubstep/brostep Skrillex music.  ‘Worlds’ was one of the first and very few EDM albums that I loved from start to finish. It goes to say, however, that this album was not perfect.

We start the entire album off with the first track - ‘Divinity’, featuring Amy Millan.  This opening track blends the usual festival hype anthem with the electronic magic of artists such as M83 and Madeon. The hard-hitting kicks, beautiful synths, structured melodies, accompanied by Amy Millan’s angelic voice coexist to create a nostalgic and endearing atmosphere.

‘Sad Machine’ is definitely my favourite tracks in this album. Who knew a robot could have a duet with Porter himself and it could sound so good? The track follows the relationship of a human (most likely, Porter) and a robot AI who has the ability to converse with Porter. The lyrics hint at some sort of unknown disaster that has struck the planet and this track is an illustration of a human’s first interaction with the robot. This could be really wrong but that’s what I’m getting from it. The chorus with Robinson and the robot shows a recurring theme of dependence with (obviously) the lyrics - ‘She depends on you’, ‘We depend on you’ and ‘I’ll depend on you’ and this adds to the idea of dependence; how the robot and Porter need each other! Moving on from the lyrics, this song is once again a collection of glittery synths and echoey claps. Robinson has created something much more atmospheric and inspiring. ‘Sad Machine’, despite its title, is a happy track and it makes you want to smile and this is why this song is one of my favourites from this album.

Some other of my favourites include:

- ‘Hear The Bells’ featuring Imaginary Cities: 

- ‘Sea of Voices’: This song is honestly one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve ever heard. I remember telling one of my close mates when I first heard this song that I would like this to be played at my funeral because it’s so damn good! This track was released as a single before the album which caused a lot of confusion from his fanbase. It was very different from his previous work and while many fans accepted this track with open arms, others were unsure and didn’t want this track to be the aesthetic of the entire album. Clocking at nearly five minutes of playtime, it features uncredited vocals from Breanne Düren and works with an emotional and nostalgic style. Starting with tinkling bells and the build-up of the harmonious voice of Düren, complemented with Robinson’s usual magical synths. This build-up continues for about three minutes, keeping us hooked for all of it and eventually ends with the lyrics - “We’ll see creation come undone’. This is quickly followed by the heavy hits and the previous collage of synths and twinkles. Breanne pops in with her vocals once more and this only adds to the spell we’re already cast under. This track is definitely not something to play at a festival but something more lowkey and personal. I can picture this track playing at the end of one of Robinson’s own concerts where the entire crowd is ‘in the moment’ and rejoicing for their love of music. One of the best tracks I’ve ever heard and this is the track I recommend if someone asks me about Porter Robinson. 

- ‘Goodbye To A World’: I feel as if this track was the perfect closer for an album like this. the song begins with another robotic voice provide a lullaby-like addition to the track. This is followed by the