Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique (the trio comprises producer Christian Falk and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Markus Jägerstedt) begin their new EP (they call it a "Mini-Mix"), Love is Free, with some fuzzed-out, reversed keyboard stabs and a chorus that goes: "You don't like what you can't control / If you can't control it, you just don't like it." It's a catchy, pulsing admonition to some unknown oppressor, and a rallying cry for fans, setting the theme of sexual, physical and mental liberation early. It's also the perfect dance floor-filler.
From there, it's all club-oriented: "Love is Free" is a house workout, complete with cowbells and more empowerment-centric lyrics ("I'ma give it to you babe / I'ma give it when I'm ready"); "Got to Work it Out" is a looser, less robotic "We Dance to the Beat"; "Set Me Free" is a starry, sparkling anthem that builds tension to the explosive choruses; Loose Joints cover "Tell You (Today)" runs with the spirit of the original in a more overtly disco direction, complete with whistling.
It's nothing particularly new from Robyn — these are collaborators she's worked with before, after all — and it doesn't quite manage the grace of her Do It Again mini-LP with Röyksopp, but between her typically deft hooks, the thematic cohesion and the efficiency of it all (five songs, 20 minutes), Love is Free marks another gem in Robyn's recent, diamond-studded catalogue.
(Konichiwa/Cherrytree)From there, it's all club-oriented: "Love is Free" is a house workout, complete with cowbells and more empowerment-centric lyrics ("I'ma give it to you babe / I'ma give it when I'm ready"); "Got to Work it Out" is a looser, less robotic "We Dance to the Beat"; "Set Me Free" is a starry, sparkling anthem that builds tension to the explosive choruses; Loose Joints cover "Tell You (Today)" runs with the spirit of the original in a more overtly disco direction, complete with whistling.
It's nothing particularly new from Robyn — these are collaborators she's worked with before, after all — and it doesn't quite manage the grace of her Do It Again mini-LP with Röyksopp, but between her typically deft hooks, the thematic cohesion and the efficiency of it all (five songs, 20 minutes), Love is Free marks another gem in Robyn's recent, diamond-studded catalogue.