james ivy is one of the writers and producers and i can highly recommend checking his music out if you like the vibes of "is there really no happiness"
im a radar tech in the us navy, and i keep a copy of nurture on my phone and laptop and hard drive, because it brings me to a warm grassy medow and sometimes you really really need that when you never ever see plants.
I had been enjoying the singles a lot in the lead up to the album! The day the album came out, I was told out my mum was diagnosed with a terminal health issue, and the line "I wanna see my mum one more time" in Russian Roulette absolutely broke me and the rest of the album was a bit of a transcendent experience for me. I've needed something that is so clearly focused on being authentic and letting yourself be embarrassing and weird, I just loved the whole thing.
Russian Roulette legit made me shed a tear. The build up to the drop of the song, "I want to see my mom one more time, I want to kiss my cat, I want to play in the snow" I felt that was Porter realizing that while life is hard, there's many things in our social circle/life that gives us meaning and comforts us in our darkest hours. And I relate to that narrative heavily. Cheerleader is my fave song (as I love the 2000s emo anime punk vibe) but R.R. is still fantastic. Beautiful album from Porter, definitely one of my favorite albums of this year so far. Other favorites: K.M Freestyle, Knock Yourself Out, Year of The Cup, Everything to Me.
I've been struggling a lot personally and when he started going into the bits about wanting to see his family, kiss his cat, play his songs, I was absolutely bawling. The kitschy "don't kys, you idiot" outro made me feel so euphoric in a way I haven't in a long time. R.R. is absolutely peak for me.
Shed a tear? Man, I cried like a baby. Not to try and one up you in the nonexistent "this song emotionally impacted me more" race, but yeah, Russian Roulette kicked me in the gut and made me feel born again lol
Not mentioning "Is There Really No Happiness?" is absolutely fucking insane... it's this albums' "Trying To Feel Alive"... the chorus is pure euphoria injected into the veins and in my opinion it's tied with "Nothing Changes" off of the MGMT record for song of the year.
yeah i think it's top 3 on the album easily, the part where it goes like "HOWS THAT HELP ME?" hits so good and I can't wait for the concert because everyone's gonna shout that part and I will be too
If it was a more fleshed out song it would get a lot more praise. It's catchy but it's too short and there's not quite enough going on in that time for it to overcome that
i like perfect pinterest more, the lowest point in this musically is Year of the Cup however, but during a couple of more listens, i need to choose between russian roulette and is there happiness to cut the final decision of the most emotional one
@@soulmoney119 You're replying with this stuff under every single comment you see. Do you actually think you're going to convert people to Christianity this way? Genuinely wondering.
The writing on this album is so interesting because there are so many double meanings. On Russian Roullette, yes it is about suicidal ideation, but also about stopping himself from making music for people. Pulling the trigger on the thing stopping him can also be interpreted as killing that part of him that worries about his music failing.
And remember how his chat said the songs in this EP were cringe and that dogshit because they were basing their opinions on how Fantano reacts on his face listening to them? They probably look stupid for the 69420th time now.
>they were basing their opinions on how Fantano reacts on his face listening to them This is the weirdest response to seeing people not like music that you like. You could just accept that they have a different subjective opinion and move on, no need to go tinfoil hat mode and craft a conspiracy theory based on nothing. Music fans tend to be the whiniest, most immature people of all the communities that surround different art forms. Literally cannot handle the idea of someone having a different opinion. Get real.
@@LittleWeevil Pretty sure both your takes are equally valid; some chatters do indeed switch up throughout a song duration depending on how Anthony seems to be vibing with it. It is not a tinfoil hate conspiracy lol. On the other hand, those are a vocal minority and a good portion of them just dont like the music lol
@LittleWeevil You really sound like you grouped yourself in with the exact group of people that was described with your "how dare you call out an anonymous group of people by describing them with a generality" aaaahh response
Exactly, way too many people only know him for Fireflies, or The Mid Summer Station, neither of which is a holistic look at the many songs/projects he's worked on. Fireflies is a banger in its own right, but it's undeniably a very shallow song. Instrumentally it's actually very interesting, and the production is great, even the lyrics are catchy, but he's also got way more variety than that.
@@nick15684 I agree! I enjoy Midsummer Station, but Coco Moon is amazing (I have Cinematic in my queue). Beautiful Times, Lucid Dreams, Learn How to Surf?
"the air inbetween" on everything to me really feels like setting a perfect boundary between him and the audience, like he needs the love and appreciation but it's fleeting and within his control.
I accidentally listened to the singles too many times so when the album was finally out I already had heard half of it. So my first couple of listens I was kind of eh on it. And I think this is something happening to other fans as well. However this album gets better with every listen, especially when all the songs fall into place. I actually think Is There Really No Happiness is one of the best songs he’s made to date. But yeah this is one of those albums where at first I was like this is ok. But now I genuinely think it’s on the level of Nurture - in terms of the category of music it’s going for. Prob gonna be my AOTY
This sums up my experience too. Loved the hell out of the singles but thought the entire album experience was just okay at first listen. But within the last couple weeks I'd dig more into the deep cuts and it just clicked and now I can't get enough of it.
I think for me this is my current album of the year. Its infectious, ever since I first heard Cheerleader I was hook, line, and sinker-ed. I think the other singles amped me up and I didn't know who we was before this album cycle. ( I have gone back and listened to Nurture and Worlds don't worry) but this has been such a great album that I don't know if it won't be my #1. I've listened to it front to back 6-ish times and songs individually more than that.
I grew up loving Owl City, which I know is a dent in my credibility as a music fan, but I can’t help what drew me in as a lonely confused teenager. As I’ve grown and changed in my music tastes, my adolescent tastes are still a major part of my formation so the comparisons to the so-called “shallow” 2010s electropop-emo is just more points in the albums favour as far as I’m concerned. Love this album. Hits me in my sad lonely adolescence.
Hey, take pride in what made you happy when you were younger! You shouldn’t let other people decide whether or not what you listen to dents your credibility unless you think happy ending by hopsin is a good song
"Is there really no happiness" has a synth in the chorus that plays two distinct notes that remind one of the sound of a "low health sound" from old video games. Which kinda fits the songs, because it gives the feeling of being low on energy sometimes and dragging yourself through life, trying to feel alive (pun intendet).
Can't get enough of this album, SMILE and Nurture both have a really unique feel that I can't find from many other musicians. An electro softness that soothes the soul
*You’ve done this before. No matter how many times you failed, you just need to get it right once. It’s all a mental game. The version that it’s above all of this it’s inside of you. You just gotta choose to let it shine. You just gotta do the work. Be excited to face it. Be excited to face your triggers and mock the negative thoughts. Be excited to put this into practice knowing you will feel proud of yourself after. Be excited to be free from this. It’s a decision. You choose to set yourself free of this. Anytime.*
The thing that keeps me from kms is the fact that i may be missing out on things that may or will be coming out in the future. I dont want to miss out on the chance to experience those things!. So i will live as long as i can to experience those things. Thats my mentality. No matter how much im struggling. I will perservere.
A [redacted] is an unexpectedly awesome score for the album, we’ll take it. So glad to see the appreciation and understanding of each song’s meaning too. I love this album so much but I do hope that the next album becomes less of a personal narrative.
I’ve only given it one solid listen so I’m sure my opinion will improve upon a second listen through, but my initial impression places it behind nurture as an album, but I still like a lot of the songs
Loving the album, some understandable criticism in my opinion. I listened to the Zach Sang interview and I love how Porter always wants to create something entirely new with each record. This will always create holes when most artists tend to stick to their genres whereas he's creating as you have said a strong 8 from his new approach in this record, this can only be seen as incredible and solidify his standing as such a powerful artist
I feel like having Perfect Pinterest Garden as your least favorite song warrants at least some explanation especially when that bassline on the bridge is so damn groovy and it explores his desire to step out of the spotlight furthering this narrative dynamic with the fans.
I got to see Smile live in Orlando and the show was amazing. If you have never seen Porter Live do yourself a favor and see it Russian Roulette and Mona Lisa live were next level
year of the cup is literally one of those midwest emo meme songs and it makes me love it more tbh lol and i think porter even confirmed this in a recent interview/pod
Im in such a weird mindset with this album right now. Let me explain. Worlds was my introduction to Porter and cemented my love for his music. I listened to it so incredibly much and constantly longed for more. So when "Something Comforting" randomly starting playing on Spotify one day while I was driving, I was so incredibly excited when I looked down at my phone to check the artist and saw "Porter Robinson". Then the exact same thing happened again a few days later with Mirror! As weird as it seems, it was kind of a profound experience. 2 of his new songs that I had NEVER heard, stood out to me so much that I checked my phone to see who it was (which I never really do) only to realize it was the artist I had been longing to hear more music from for years! Smile though... it was basically the exact opposite experience. I skipped Cheerleader like 30% of the way through, completely unaware it was Porter until I found out later. I thought it was just some new top 10 pop charts hit song that had randomly made it's way to my recommended songs shuffle on Spotify. I was actually gutted when I found out it was Porter. And even more gutted when I clicked on Knock Yourself Out after it dropped on TH-cam and it basically have the exact same style. It just doesn't do anything for me at all. In fact I completely forgot what they both sounded like even after several listens. Even now it takes me a second to remember what Knock Yourself Out sounds like even though Ive heard it like 8 times. I understand that every artist changes their style and eventually appeals to new demographics. But it's just hard for me to cope with the fact he went from an album that made me cry, gave me goosebumps, made me feel healed, made me appreciate life more, and pretty much changed who am I as a person, to an album that I unknowingly skipped because it sounded generic and soulless to me. And because of that, I've actually been avoiding listening to the entire album since it's release out of fear of being disappointed even more.
This and Clancy are my personal favorite albums of the year. I know it’s not for everyone but I really enjoy the message of growth and learning to love your past self that they share
Really solid no skip album for me. Somehow I missed out on Nurture when it released and I’ve been listening to it along side this new album and they are hitting me like a truck. Third best Porter album after Nurture and Worlds.
i think this is a very strong album, but personally, i think it'll be very hard for porter to top nurture. even in smile, i find myself enjoying the nurture-esque tracks much more than the snappy, edm heavy tracks. just my take tho, and i still loved this album!
@@MusicJunkie37 There’s definitely EDM DNA in a lot of songs, like Cheerleader and Russian Roulette. Not saying Smile is EDM, I personally wouldn’t consider any of his albums to be dance music.
I’m late to this party but I think Year of the Cup is a load bearing song on the album. It’s the inflection point where Porter / the narrator decides to change and look inward for validation instead of out
I’m think this reinforces Nurture was underrated on your scale. It was called the “Discovery of its generation”, yet it gets the same score as Smile? Don’t get me wrong a live Smile, but a catchy Electronic Pop punk album that’s been done before seems it should take a backseat to “The Discovery of its Generarion”. Good review, I’m just salty Nurture was a decent to strong 9.
I like that he pays attention to lyrics (like me). Lately, though, he's been too focused on it and has not commented on the music itself. And some songs don't even get mentioned. If you're so into lyrics do a Bad Religion album review. And yes this album does have some Owl City moments lol
i’ve been a fan of Porters music since fan since 2011 when he dropped Spitfire. I loved Worlds, Virtual Self, and Nurture. This album is really well made and written, but just not for me. will always been a fan tho🙏🏻
Love Porter so much, huge Nurture head over here. I really like this album so far but man I wish artists would stop putting dialogue in songs as a big part of the song, it hurts the re-listenability so much for me, I really don’t ever wanna hear the interview in Year of the Cup ever again so I just skip that song now. It makes me sad because it’s a good song but I just can’t do it! Needs to be a separate track or something so I can just skip that part 😂
It's easy for me to say that SMILE is my least favorite Porter album, but that's only because I am still letting it grow on me. It's already growing on me and I'm liking it more with each listen! I think some of his best songs are on here (Russian Roulette, Kitsune Maison Freestyle, Is There Really No Happiness?). At the moment, I'm feeling a 7.5/10 on it, but I could see it go higher.
My current three favorite artists (Denzel, Porter, JPEG) all dropping within a couple weeks and all getting 8s is some coincidence. Thoroughly enjoyed all three and its nice having a rotation to keep me from wearing one out. JPEG and Porter production is something else, respective albums are uniquely their own. Denzels album is straight bangers with his best features to date. If he doesnt get one mainstream hit from his album Id be shocked (well maybe expected at this point). Regardless and I know its repeated often but his discography at the age of 29 is absurd for him to not be talked about at the highest level. I got a feeling his best work is still ahead, a true undeniable masterpiece.
@@Slime-Man-Extreme Instrumentally Nurture is way better. Personally, I prefer porters regular vocals on this album over the heavily saturated nurture vocals. Also the writing on Smile has higher highs than the writing on Nurture. They are probably on the same level, but I can see why someone who loves nurture wouldn’t like this album. I think they are about equally as good though and anything less than an 8 for this album is just nurture bias speaking.
@aurielazure some of the praise and the language he used to describe his experience with Nurture just makes it seem like it really deserved a 9. Considering he doesn't quite come across as enchanted this time around, or "spellbound," as he literally put it in the nurture review, I can understand feeling it odd they get the same score. Tldr, Smile does deserve an 8 but nurture still feels like a 9
@@ineedmayo95 I'd mostly agree although while I certainly enjoy SMILE quite a bit, I feel that it offers a rather bad re-listening experience - especially with the Year Of the cup interview. Individual songs on the album are great but I am never inspired to intently listen through the entire thing in one sitting. Nurture on the other hand flows beautifully and feels like a wonderful cohesive experience. So while my fascination with Nurture has only grown over the years I feel that SMILE is going to loose a lot of it's luster rather quickly. I'll be interested to see Melon revisit SMILE for his end of the year list.
bro, can't listen to Porter without thinking about the time he got so mad on your review that he screened your 4 on a concert. Like, love the guy, but that shit was so funny.
The mostly acoustic build to that explosion of dance beats and glossy synthesisers on Russian Roulette is incredible and honestly close to my favourite music moment of the year. Just pure euphoria
Russian Roulette is one of the best songs of the year, and one of his best songs ever. Big "A Brief Inquiry" from the 1975 inspirarion all over this record.
Why is there so many people in this comment section hating on Owl City? :( His albums are so good and dreamy (at least everything pre-Mobile Orchestra is top notch).
3:44 after having been to the Porter concert, it is bonechilling just how seamless of a listening experience SMILE!:D to Nurture to Worlds can actually be
“Don't know my schedule on the fifth Bitch, I'm Taylor Swift Got a hundred million on my wrist” Bro there is no way there’s gonna be a harder bar this year
I've been anticipating this album since the release of Cheerleader and Knock Yourself Out; I'm glad I'm finally allowed to like this album keeping in mind to not glaze it too much, since it was 2 points short of a perfect 10! Thanks Anthony!
That’s actually part of the point, he realized that Nuture made it seem like he had it all figured out when he didn’t. I even believe he said it started as a companion EP to Nurture before evolving into a full album.
![[Stream Re-upload] WATCHING FANTANO REVIEW, NEW MUSIC VIDEO, FL STUDIO, RAWSTYLE, STEPMANIA](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WBblR1i3AuA/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Stream Re-upload] WATCHING FANTANO REVIEW, NEW MUSIC VIDEO, FL STUDIO, RAWSTYLE, STEPMANIA](/img/tr.png)
Surprised there was no mention of “Is There Really No Happiness?” - truly a banger
Omg yes favourite track by far, the blend of genres is amazing and the vocals and writing feels like a gut punch of nostalgia
this song is so insanely good, also surprised it’s not on best tracks
Came here to comment this
Mentioned almost every other song kek
james ivy is one of the writers and producers and i can highly recommend checking his music out if you like the vibes of "is there really no happiness"
A Brat summer and a Porter Autumn 🥲
porter autumnson
autumn is until september, almost october 🤨
August and September are summer months. Fall begins at the last week of September.
one for the boys B)
@@nevadanate4957depends on where u live ;p
im a radar tech in the us navy, and i keep a copy of nurture on my phone and laptop and hard drive, because it brings me to a warm grassy medow and sometimes you really really need that when you never ever see plants.
This comment is dope as fuck. Hope all is well.
what a beautiful comment man
find jesus and you will be free
Much love and stay safe dude!
Dang
In a world full of Camila Cabellos, get yourself a Porter Robinson
What if I can utilize the rabid Camila Cabellos and tame them into a formidable work force to do my bidding?
Why did you combine porter robinsons album and the cover of brat…
find god
@@Sillytommysadventure Can't wait for the new Porter XCX album
dj taylor swift ed sheeran guitars into the chat with kistune maison bag and channel no 5 pillow
I had been enjoying the singles a lot in the lead up to the album! The day the album came out, I was told out my mum was diagnosed with a terminal health issue, and the line "I wanna see my mum one more time" in Russian Roulette absolutely broke me and the rest of the album was a bit of a transcendent experience for me. I've needed something that is so clearly focused on being authentic and letting yourself be embarrassing and weird, I just loved the whole thing.
❤
Hi this album also broke me thanks for sharing :)
I’ll pray for your mom hope you guys have brighter days ahead ❤️
I lost my mother last week from cancer; I feel you! Much love from France
@@mu_on sorry for your loss may she rest in peace in heaven 🙏🏼❤️
if it was named "BRAT! :3" he would've given it a 10/10
love jesus
rightfully so
brat won't be so bratty and lovely at the same time like this, but if brat means insolent child it might be brat :D, i will give that credit to you
Russian Roulette legit made me shed a tear.
The build up to the drop of the song, "I want to see my mom one more time, I want to kiss my cat, I want to play in the snow" I felt that was Porter realizing that while life is hard, there's many things in our social circle/life that gives us meaning and comforts us in our darkest hours.
And I relate to that narrative heavily.
Cheerleader is my fave song (as I love the 2000s emo anime punk vibe) but R.R. is still fantastic.
Beautiful album from Porter, definitely one of my favorite albums of this year so far.
Other favorites: K.M Freestyle, Knock Yourself Out, Year of The Cup, Everything to Me.
Porter Robinson liked to play in the snow. But so did the Meat Worm.
I've been struggling a lot personally and when he started going into the bits about wanting to see his family, kiss his cat, play his songs, I was absolutely bawling. The kitschy "don't kys, you idiot" outro made me feel so euphoric in a way I haven't in a long time. R.R. is absolutely peak for me.
Shed a tear? Man, I cried like a baby. Not to try and one up you in the nonexistent "this song emotionally impacted me more" race, but yeah, Russian Roulette kicked me in the gut and made me feel born again lol
I cried when he said “funny monkey” on Russian Roulette
Taylor swifts first yellow flannel, I think!
😭
Kind of a banger comment tbh.
bitch, I'm Taylor Swift 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Folklore
LMAO
Not sure why I expected him to find it mid but this is a nice surprise
fr i was expecting a 5/10
I feel he gives big points for albums with authenticity iykwim, so it was gonna be at least above 6
nah, on streams he always vibed to it and on weekly roundups every single ended up with lots of praise. For me it was obv it's gonna get at least a 7
Because it is
Because it's so good.
Not mentioning "Is There Really No Happiness?" is absolutely fucking insane... it's this albums' "Trying To Feel Alive"... the chorus is pure euphoria injected into the veins and in my opinion it's tied with "Nothing Changes" off of the MGMT record for song of the year.
Breaks the out of 10 scale for me..
yeah i think it's top 3 on the album easily, the part where it goes like "HOWS THAT HELP ME?" hits so good and I can't wait for the concert because everyone's gonna shout that part and I will be too
praise jesus christ our lord
@@soulmoney119 gangster spungebub
insanely true.
perfect pinterest garden is such an underrated track tbh 😔
The catchiest song in the entire album for sure, and the funkiest, is a little too inspired by the strokes but that's fine because I love the strokes
Perfect Pinterest Garden as least favorite track is BLASPHEMY
I really enjoy the whole album but I feel like it's the weakest track on the album.
If it was a more fleshed out song it would get a lot more praise. It's catchy but it's too short and there's not quite enough going on in that time for it to overcome that
Agreed! A banger.
She Porter on my Robinson til I smile
musician
Big fan
:D
She nurture my world til i smile
Surprised you didn't talk about 'Is There Really No Happiness?'. Prob the best track outside of the singles.
I think it's better than all of them aside from Russian Roullete its so fucking good
skipped just like mirror on the nurture review 💔
praise christ our savior
I think the best track is Mona Lisa IMO
i like perfect pinterest more, the lowest point in this musically is Year of the Cup however, but during a couple of more listens, i need to choose between russian roulette and is there happiness to cut the final decision of the most emotional one
2:07 Porter himself said "My music doesn't sound like Owl City" on a AMA (Reddit)😂
Mostly because owl city sucks.
It kinda dies ..
@@josephbartholomewInferior Postal Service ripoff, all of it.
He said "I don't think my music sounds like Owl City", doesn't stop people from drawing parallels regardless of what the artist thinks
Im a huge fan of owl city and porter. While I think they do sound different there are still similarities that I see
thank you mr fantano for giving this album an 8/8
i swear this album is so addictive
jesus christ is our savior
@@soulmoney119 You're replying with this stuff under every single comment you see. Do you actually think you're going to convert people to Christianity this way? Genuinely wondering.
if you don't give anime boy a 10/10 it's going into the Smile World Tour set visuals, Melon
Tf is anime boy
Porter Robinson is anime boy. It became a meme leading up to the album announcement to tell him to 'Drop the Album, anime boy.'@@christiandavis7924
@@christiandavis7924eh he ah eh eh oh
@@christiandavis7924 thats what people called porter robinson throughout this album’s release, starting when Cheerleader was released
@@seraphrakurohe’s been anime boy since shelter🙏🏼
Our Hyperpop Lisan Al Gaib
The writing on this album is so interesting because there are so many double meanings. On Russian Roullette, yes it is about suicidal ideation, but also about stopping himself from making music for people. Pulling the trigger on the thing stopping him can also be interpreted as killing that part of him that worries about his music failing.
And remember how his chat said the songs in this EP were cringe and that dogshit because they were basing their opinions on how Fantano reacts on his face listening to them?
They probably look stupid for the 69420th time now.
>they were basing their opinions on how Fantano reacts on his face listening to them
This is the weirdest response to seeing people not like music that you like. You could just accept that they have a different subjective opinion and move on, no need to go tinfoil hat mode and craft a conspiracy theory based on nothing. Music fans tend to be the whiniest, most immature people of all the communities that surround different art forms. Literally cannot handle the idea of someone having a different opinion. Get real.
@@LittleWeevil Pretty sure both your takes are equally valid; some chatters do indeed switch up throughout a song duration depending on how Anthony seems to be vibing with it. It is not a tinfoil hate conspiracy lol. On the other hand, those are a vocal minority and a good portion of them just dont like the music lol
@LittleWeevil You really sound like you grouped yourself in with the exact group of people that was described with your "how dare you call out an anonymous group of people by describing them with a generality" aaaahh response
@@LittleWeeviltwitch chat is just stupid, it's no secret that they are pure herd mentality
@@SORIANSISTactually only my opinion is valid 😛
You know Melon
Some people die from not mentioning Is There Really No Happiness...
...so you better look out.
JUST KIDDING!
HA HA HA
*GOOD ONE!*
Easier to Love You is lyrically amazing as a twenteenager approaching my 30s. I’m not the person I wanted to be, but that’s ok. I needed to hear it.
There is no too like Owl City. It is a compliment. I love them both.
Yes exactly 💯
Exactly, way too many people only know him for Fireflies, or The Mid Summer Station, neither of which is a holistic look at the many songs/projects he's worked on. Fireflies is a banger in its own right, but it's undeniably a very shallow song. Instrumentally it's actually very interesting, and the production is great, even the lyrics are catchy, but he's also got way more variety than that.
@@nick15684 I agree! I enjoy Midsummer Station, but Coco Moon is amazing (I have Cinematic in my queue). Beautiful Times, Lucid Dreams, Learn How to Surf?
"the air inbetween" on everything to me really feels like setting a perfect boundary between him and the audience, like he needs the love and appreciation but it's fleeting and within his control.
i've cried to that song, genuinely beautiful
Wonder what part of this review porter will take for the tour aesthetics
I accidentally listened to the singles too many times so when the album was finally out I already had heard half of it. So my first couple of listens I was kind of eh on it. And I think this is something happening to other fans as well.
However this album gets better with every listen, especially when all the songs fall into place. I actually think Is There Really No Happiness is one of the best songs he’s made to date.
But yeah this is one of those albums where at first I was like this is ok. But now I genuinely think it’s on the level of Nurture - in terms of the category of music it’s going for. Prob gonna be my AOTY
It's definitely a grower for sure
This sums up my experience too. Loved the hell out of the singles but thought the entire album experience was just okay at first listen. But within the last couple weeks I'd dig more into the deep cuts and it just clicked and now I can't get enough of it.
I think for me this is my current album of the year. Its infectious, ever since I first heard Cheerleader I was hook, line, and sinker-ed. I think the other singles amped me up and I didn't know who we was before this album cycle. ( I have gone back and listened to Nurture and Worlds don't worry) but this has been such a great album that I don't know if it won't be my #1. I've listened to it front to back 6-ish times and songs individually more than that.
I grew up loving Owl City, which I know is a dent in my credibility as a music fan, but I can’t help what drew me in as a lonely confused teenager.
As I’ve grown and changed in my music tastes, my adolescent tastes are still a major part of my formation so the comparisons to the so-called “shallow” 2010s electropop-emo is just more points in the albums favour as far as I’m concerned.
Love this album. Hits me in my sad lonely adolescence.
Hey, take pride in what made you happy when you were younger! You shouldn’t let other people decide whether or not what you listen to dents your credibility unless you think happy ending by hopsin is a good song
Nothing embarrassing about Adam Young's music, man's a musical genius that gets too much hate.
His new album Coco Moon is great too
the midsummer station is what of my favorite albums. worlds is prob my favorite
Nah man Owl City is so soothing and like an old friend. Music is made to move us, and I feel like Adam's did well
I really enjoy the professionalism and love for music in every review you make. Thanks.
Porter went absolutely nuts on Mona Lisa my favorite track on the album
"Is there really no happiness" has a synth in the chorus that plays two distinct notes that remind one of the sound of a "low health sound" from old video games.
Which kinda fits the songs, because it gives the feeling of being low on energy sometimes and dragging yourself through life, trying to feel alive (pun intendet).
I listened back, You're so totally right
This is definitely my 2nd favorite album of the year behind Clancy, Porter is a musical genius and I really love this album
i think that Clancy is a bit underrated in my opinion
this is one of my favourite albums of the year too
I agree! Clancy is incredible. Push on through! |-/
I liked this album just a bit more than Clancy. Outside of “Navigating” I thought the second half of that album was a bit weak.
@@TheJacobHudman I really liked Oldies Station and Paladin Strait myself. But I get that they're slower and less compelling.
Anthony screaming "I haven't smiled in weeks" on repeat was not the review I was expecting, great content though!
:D
:)
If it was named "C,XOXO! D:" he would've posted this on his second channel
fellow speedcubing porter fan?
This is the opposite of the TPAB jokes
great album but fantano not even mentioning Is There Really No Happiness is actually insane
That whole song breaks the scale of 0-100. Whole reason I gave my review a 96.
literally the best song
Anthony, I’m glad you love Porter but you didn’t have to start drooling and licking all over the camera at the end there
Can't get enough of this album, SMILE and Nurture both have a really unique feel that I can't find from many other musicians. An electro softness that soothes the soul
unsubscribing cause this wasnt an 11
*You’ve done this before. No matter how many times you failed, you just need to get it right once. It’s all a mental game. The version that it’s above all of this it’s inside of you. You just gotta choose to let it shine. You just gotta do the work. Be excited to face it. Be excited to face your triggers and mock the negative thoughts. Be excited to put this into practice knowing you will feel proud of yourself after. Be excited to be free from this. It’s a decision. You choose to set yourself free of this. Anytime.*
funny monkey
Your mom's an 11...
😂😂
FRFR
0:15 Georgia native but very much a Chapel Hill origin story get cheerleaderpilled melon
Its like if Nurture were to be released 3 years later with it being more pop punk rock inspired
The thing that keeps me from kms is the fact that i may be missing out on things that may or will be coming out in the future. I dont want to miss out on the chance to experience those things!. So i will live as long as i can to experience those things. Thats my mentality. No matter how much im struggling. I will perservere.
if this was called SMILE! :D and was by porter robinson you wouldve given it an 8
potentially
nah he’d give it a 7/10
Bring Me The Porter Robinson Nex Gen
on a serious note tbh I got strong bmth vibes in Mona Lisa specifically. he has some oil-esque vocal qualities in the last verse.
We meme now but that collaboration is probably in the near future
@@zdoggzero6595fr?
A [redacted] is an unexpectedly awesome score for the album, we’ll take it. So glad to see the appreciation and understanding of each song’s meaning too. I love this album so much but I do hope that the next album becomes less of a personal narrative.
The highest rated album this year by an artist who claims to be Taylor Swift
I’ve only given it one solid listen so I’m sure my opinion will improve upon a second listen through, but my initial impression places it behind nurture as an album, but I still like a lot of the songs
PERFECT PINTEREST GARDEN AS LEAST FAVORITE??? UNACCEPTABLE
When will you review To Pimp A Butterfly
Loving the album, some understandable criticism in my opinion. I listened to the Zach Sang interview and I love how Porter always wants to create something entirely new with each record. This will always create holes when most artists tend to stick to their genres whereas he's creating as you have said a strong 8 from his new approach in this record, this can only be seen as incredible and solidify his standing as such a powerful artist
I feel like having Perfect Pinterest Garden as your least favorite song warrants at least some explanation especially when that bassline on the bridge is so damn groovy and it explores his desire to step out of the spotlight furthering this narrative dynamic with the fans.
I'm pulling for Russian Roulette during list week. That's a top 5 for the year for me, easily.
This is BRAT for introverts
Brat for anime fans
This is it, this is the comment
Brat for weebs
I love when you smile, Anthony! Good boy. Now drop to your knees.
@vari2d347your comment implies you’re surprised by seeing stuff like this in the TND comment section
I got to see Smile live in Orlando and the show was amazing. If you have never seen Porter Live do yourself a favor and see it
Russian Roulette and Mona Lisa live were next level
I second this! Seeing him on Halloween this year was my third time seeing him, and he always manages to put on an *amazing* show!! 🖤
year of the cup is literally one of those midwest emo meme songs and it makes me love it more tbh lol and i think porter even confirmed this in a recent interview/pod
WE NEED ANOTHER INTERVIEW ANTNY!!!!
Honestly my favorite album of the year so far, it's just so such an energetic and fun listen from to back with barely any skips
Im in such a weird mindset with this album right now. Let me explain.
Worlds was my introduction to Porter and cemented my love for his music. I listened to it so incredibly much and constantly longed for more.
So when "Something Comforting" randomly starting playing on Spotify one day while I was driving, I was so incredibly excited when I looked down at my phone to check the artist and saw "Porter Robinson". Then the exact same thing happened again a few days later with Mirror!
As weird as it seems, it was kind of a profound experience. 2 of his new songs that I had NEVER heard, stood out to me so much that I checked my phone to see who it was (which I never really do) only to realize it was the artist I had been longing to hear more music from for years!
Smile though... it was basically the exact opposite experience. I skipped Cheerleader like 30% of the way through, completely unaware it was Porter until I found out later. I thought it was just some new top 10 pop charts hit song that had randomly made it's way to my recommended songs shuffle on Spotify. I was actually gutted when I found out it was Porter.
And even more gutted when I clicked on Knock Yourself Out after it dropped on TH-cam and it basically have the exact same style. It just doesn't do anything for me at all. In fact I completely forgot what they both sounded like even after several listens. Even now it takes me a second to remember what Knock Yourself Out sounds like even though Ive heard it like 8 times.
I understand that every artist changes their style and eventually appeals to new demographics. But it's just hard for me to cope with the fact he went from an album that made me cry, gave me goosebumps, made me feel healed, made me appreciate life more, and pretty much changed who am I as a person, to an album that I unknowingly skipped because it sounded generic and soulless to me.
And because of that, I've actually been avoiding listening to the entire album since it's release out of fear of being disappointed even more.
perfect pinterest garden as the worst track is criminal
I agree, it should be called: the most skippable track
Calling Porter a cringey weeaboo for 9 minutes and giving it a 0/10 doesn’t count as a review, Melon
😂
This and Clancy are my personal favorite albums of the year. I know it’s not for everyone but I really enjoy the message of growth and learning to love your past self that they share
Really solid no skip album for me. Somehow I missed out on Nurture when it released and I’ve been listening to it along side this new album and they are hitting me like a truck. Third best Porter album after Nurture and Worlds.
i think this is a very strong album, but personally, i think it'll be very hard for porter to top nurture. even in smile, i find myself enjoying the nurture-esque tracks much more than the snappy, edm heavy tracks. just my take tho, and i still loved this album!
There are no EDM tracks on this
@@MusicJunkie37 There’s definitely EDM DNA in a lot of songs, like Cheerleader and Russian Roulette. Not saying Smile is EDM, I personally wouldn’t consider any of his albums to be dance music.
Worlds is still goated tho
Easier to Love You makes me SOOBBBB
I’m late to this party but I think Year of the Cup is a load bearing song on the album. It’s the inflection point where Porter / the narrator decides to change and look inward for validation instead of out
I’m think this reinforces Nurture was underrated on your scale. It was called the “Discovery of its generation”, yet it gets the same score as Smile? Don’t get me wrong a live Smile, but a catchy Electronic Pop punk album that’s been done before seems it should take a backseat to “The Discovery of its Generarion”. Good review, I’m just salty Nurture was a decent to strong 9.
I like that he pays attention to lyrics (like me). Lately, though, he's been too focused on it and has not commented on the music itself. And some songs don't even get mentioned. If you're so into lyrics do a Bad Religion album review. And yes this album does have some Owl City moments lol
i’ve been a fan of Porters music since fan since 2011 when he dropped Spitfire. I loved Worlds, Virtual Self, and Nurture. This album is really well made and written, but just not for me. will always been a fan tho🙏🏻
i like how even fantano says its like owl city when porter robinson says he sounds nothing like them
Love Porter so much, huge Nurture head over here. I really like this album so far but man I wish artists would stop putting dialogue in songs as a big part of the song, it hurts the re-listenability so much for me, I really don’t ever wanna hear the interview in Year of the Cup ever again so I just skip that song now. It makes me sad because it’s a good song but I just can’t do it! Needs to be a separate track or something so I can just skip that part 😂
shocked no mention of happiness, incredible track that lit up the album release party so much he played it twice! hoping it’s the next single. ❤
It's easy for me to say that SMILE is my least favorite Porter album, but that's only because I am still letting it grow on me. It's already growing on me and I'm liking it more with each listen! I think some of his best songs are on here (Russian Roulette, Kitsune Maison Freestyle, Is There Really No Happiness?). At the moment, I'm feeling a 7.5/10 on it, but I could see it go higher.
russian roulette is the song of the summer
that part in Cheerleader where the cheerleader chants mix back into the main melody was so 🤌
thumbnail continuity on point
perfect Pinterest garden as least favorite track is CRAZY…
My current three favorite artists (Denzel, Porter, JPEG) all dropping within a couple weeks and all getting 8s is some coincidence.
Thoroughly enjoyed all three and its nice having a rotation to keep me from wearing one out.
JPEG and Porter production is something else, respective albums are uniquely their own.
Denzels album is straight bangers with his best features to date. If he doesnt get one mainstream hit from his album Id be shocked (well maybe expected at this point). Regardless and I know its repeated often but his discography at the age of 29 is absurd for him to not be talked about at the highest level. I got a feeling his best work is still ahead, a true undeniable masterpiece.
Same score as Nurture is crazy
yeah it’s better than nurture
@@aurielazure you must be deaf
@@Slime-Man-Extreme Instrumentally Nurture is way better. Personally, I prefer porters regular vocals on this album over the heavily saturated nurture vocals. Also the writing on Smile has higher highs than the writing on Nurture. They are probably on the same level, but I can see why someone who loves nurture wouldn’t like this album. I think they are about equally as good though and anything less than an 8 for this album is just nurture bias speaking.
@aurielazure some of the praise and the language he used to describe his experience with Nurture just makes it seem like it really deserved a 9. Considering he doesn't quite come across as enchanted this time around, or "spellbound," as he literally put it in the nurture review, I can understand feeling it odd they get the same score.
Tldr, Smile does deserve an 8 but nurture still feels like a 9
@@ineedmayo95 I'd mostly agree although while I certainly enjoy SMILE quite a bit, I feel that it offers a rather bad re-listening experience - especially with the Year Of the cup interview. Individual songs on the album are great but I am never inspired to intently listen through the entire thing in one sitting. Nurture on the other hand flows beautifully and feels like a wonderful cohesive experience. So while my fascination with Nurture has only grown over the years I feel that SMILE is going to loose a lot of it's luster rather quickly. I'll be interested to see Melon revisit SMILE for his end of the year list.
bro, can't listen to Porter without thinking about the time he got so mad on your review that he screened your 4 on a concert.
Like, love the guy, but that shit was so funny.
Wait no way did that actaully happen?
@@Czectly Yeah.
@@Czectly top 10 funniest moments in music history for sure.
@@Czectly ok, so: Second Sky Festival 2021, during the performance of Divinity
yeah he don’t want the flak
he was clearly trying to avoid being negative here and sounded like he would rate it lower than an 8
PERFECT PINTEREST GARDEN, GET BEHIND ME!!!
The mostly acoustic build to that explosion of dance beats and glossy synthesisers on Russian Roulette is incredible and honestly close to my favourite music moment of the year. Just pure euphoria
This guy gets it
man I love this album, my autumn playlist is booked out before it's even started
Perfect
Russian Roulette is one of the best songs of the year, and one of his best songs ever. Big "A Brief Inquiry" from the 1975 inspirarion all over this record.
Perfect Pinterest Garden is a banger but other than that I agree
I was waiting for this review! Loved this review and this album!
Why is there so many people in this comment section hating on Owl City? :( His albums are so good and dreamy (at least everything pre-Mobile Orchestra is top notch).
3:44 after having been to the Porter concert, it is bonechilling just how seamless of a listening experience SMILE!:D to Nurture to Worlds can actually be
The thumbnail perfectly transitioning into the video is crazy
“Don't know my schedule on the fifth
Bitch, I'm Taylor Swift
Got a hundred million on my wrist”
Bro there is no way there’s gonna be a harder bar this year
OK great review, but What's in the Goddamn Cup?!?!?!?!
I love porter Robinson, his music makes me so happy
Banger of an album. Mona Lisa is one of the best choruses we’ve heard in a while
I've been anticipating this album since the release of Cheerleader and Knock Yourself Out; I'm glad I'm finally allowed to like this album keeping in mind to not glaze it too much, since it was 2 points short of a perfect 10!
Thanks Anthony!
isn't porter from North Carolina 😭
porter wrote nurture seemingly as a way to show he is over criticism and then he releases smile and proves he learned nothing.
That’s actually part of the point, he realized that Nuture made it seem like he had it all figured out when he didn’t. I even believe he said it started as a companion EP to Nurture before evolving into a full album.
Hypochondriac should've been at least a high 7
kitsune melon freestyle
This is my personal favorite album of the year so far :D
I am usually so chill about what grade Fantano gives but Porter is my favourite, I felt like he was grading my heart