Nurture (album)

Robinson experienced an initial surge of popularity at age 18,[1] after the release of several festival-oriented electronic dance music works such as "Say My Name" (2010) and Spitfire (2011). Robinson grew increasingly dissatisfied with his performances, and said that he experienced "four or five fully-blown anxiety attacks onstage" while touring for his song "Language".[2] His desire to change his musical style led him to write his debut album Worlds (2014), a work that has retrospectively been described as a "breakthrough" that precipitated a wider shift in the electronic music industry.[3]

Following the release of the album and its reception, Robinson had set high expectations for himself in the studio.[4] As a result, in the years following the album's release, he suffered from an extended period of depression and writer's block, releasing very little music.[5] In 2016, Robinson released "Shelter", a collaboration with friend and fellow electronic producer Madeon.[6] Robinson would later cite Madeon's work on Good Faith (2019) as a key inspiration for Nurture.[7] In 2017, Robinson released Virtual Self, a eurodance- and trance-inspired production released under an alias of the same name.[8] "Ghost Voices", a single from the EP, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording the same year.[9]

In January 2020, Robinson announced the album and its lead single, "Get Your Wish".[10] The announcement was made through a video that featured cryptic messages and hints, including obscured links, dates, and geographic coordinates.[11] Robinson had also previously hidden details in the promotional material for Virtual Self.[12] Nurture was originally intended to be released in September 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Robinson altered the tracklist, extending the length of the album from 11 to 14 songs,[13] and releasing additional promotional singles.[5] On December 18, 2020, Robinson announced that the album was complete, and would release in "a few months".[14] The release date was later announced to be April 23, 2021.[15]

On the composition of Nurture, Robinson said that it "came after a period of real creative struggle and just a very difficult time emotionally",[16] which results in lyrical content that focuses on the topics of depression and writer's block, according to AllMusic's Paul Simpson.[6] Our Culture's Konstantinos Pappis writes that the album as a whole places more emphasis on lyrics.[5] For the album's title, Robinson considered "Only Hope" before Nurture was ultimately chosen due to its similarity with the word "nature". The choice of Nurture as the album's title also serves as a reference to the nature versus nurture debate, which Robinson hopes can "make [people] feel like they can change the way they think of themselves and improve themselves."[17] The Line of Best Fit's Sophie Walker noted that this is the first time that Robinson has prominently featured his singing voice in his work.[16] However, PopMatters's Chris Conaton writes that songs such as "Look at the Sky" often harmonize his voice with a heavily processed version,[18] which is autotuned and increased in pitch to sound more feminine.[5][19] According to Robinson, the processed version of his voice served to add a "corruption and artificiality" to the sound.[20]

Several critics felt that there were significant stylistic differences between the album and Robinson's previous works. Robinson stated that he followed an approach of "no supersaws, no 808 subs, [and] no classic breakbeats" for most of the songs on the album,[21] which Pappis ascribes to his resolve to avoid the "strictures of dance music".[5] With this pusuit of what Robinson refers to as a "less dance-y sound", Robinson moved away from "drop-driven" songwriting and employed different styles.[22] Walker highlights the experimentation displayed in "Dullscythe" and "Wind Tempos" in particular, calling it "Nurture's foundation".[16] MusicOMH's Ben Devlin feels that the album is more similar to pop and indie styles, while still retaining some heavier electronic elements.[19] Critics also discuss the album's diverse instrumentation,[6][19] with NME's Ben Jolley highlighting Robinson's use of the piano, which he feels was "pivotal in his recovery [from depression]".[1]

Critics note multiple influences on Robinson's stylistic choices on the album. Spectrum Culture's Aaron Paskin finds the reflective lyrics and piano riff of "Get Your Wish" to be reminiscent of Bon Iver's "33 'God' " (2016).[23] Both Slant's Charles Lyons-Burt and Conaton identify a reference to the piano riff of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" (2007),[21] with Conaton also noting a reference to The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" (2003) in "Dullscythe".[18] Paskin compares the sampling technique used in "Musician" to the approaches of Daft Punk.[23] Walker notes that Robinson's work is heavily influenced by J-pop and Japanese culture,[16] and "Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do", according to Simpson, contains elements from the Shibuya-kei genre.[6] Reviewers also attributed the more atmospheric tone in some songs to the influence of Joe Hisaishi and the soundtracks of Studio Ghibli's films, with Conaton finding similarities in "Wind Tempos",[18] and Walker citing the opening song "Lifelike".[16]

In March 2020, Robinson and Samuel Burgess-Johnson conducted a photoshoot for the album cover, experimenting with several ideas before deciding to use a picture in which Robinson dropped into a bed of flowers on an impulse. Robinson sees the cover as indicative of the album's personal tone, saying "I struggle to be bold and it's a bold album cover."[24]

Several songs on Nurture explore Robinson's struggles with depression and writer's block. Simpson writes that "Mirror" and "Something Comforting" both address Robinson's self-critical inner voice, while "Musician" focuses on overcoming the burnout that was preventing him from writing music.[6] Lyons-Burt writes that "Look at the Sky" has a "sense of disillusionment", but Pitchfork's Colin Joyce notes that it also looks ahead to a brighter future, calling it a "ballad of hard-won optimism".[20] Jolley feels that the closing song "Trying to Be Alive" also reflects Robinson's struggles with his mental health.[1] However, Joyce feels that the song shows Robinson has realized that "struggle gives life its color in the first place".[20] According to Simpson, Robinson expresses the futility of striving for a "finish line", and instead learning to find fulfillment in simply living and creating music.[6]

Nurture has a focus on being "finding the beauty in everyday and reality as it is", which is reflected in the album's tagline of "everything we need is already here". Robinson contrasts this with Worlds, which he feels is more about "escaping to faraway dreamlands".[22] Jolley feels that Robinson's rediscovery of "the beauty of everyday life" also led to a renewed appreciation for the natural world. As a result, the album incorporates more organic sounds, as well as more acoustic instruments like the piano and orchestra.[1] Paskin notes this theme in the opening song "Lifelike", which makes use of piano, strings, and ambient bird sounds; Robinson himself describes the song as "a window into the worldview of Nurture".[23] However, multiple critics note the juxtaposition of artificial and natural elements in the album, such as the clean and processed versions of Robinson's voice,[18][5] and the usage of synthesizers along with the acoustic instruments.[16][21]

Robinson explores a new theme of family on Nurture, dedicating a song to his mother, and two to his partner Rika; Jolley writes that here Robinson renders himself "more vulnerable than ever before".[1] According to Pappis, "Sweet Time" describes the feeling of falling so deeply in love that one faces "the fear of dying for the first time".[5] Simpson notes the contrast between the introspection of the album and the "fantasy, escapism, and technology" of Robinson's previous works.[6] Joyce especially highlights the thematic differences with the music video of "Shelter", which features a simulation that is created to escape a dystopic reality.[20] Jolley concludes that the closing quote of "Mirror" is a reflection of "[Robinson]'s journey as an artist" and the message of the album as a whole.[1] Reflecting on the overall tone of the album, Robinson says that it is "very melancholic; there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of sadness, but there's also a lot of hope".[24]

Nurture released by Mom + Pop on April 23, 2021. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, the second of Robinson's albums to do so. According to MRC Data, the album earned an equivalent of 14,000 album sales in its first week.[25]

Robinson premired the album's live set on April 24, 2021 at Secret Sky, his own virtual festival. The performance was streamed online, and featured "live edits" of several songs from Nurture and Worlds.[26] Robinson played the live set in person for the first time at his music festival Second Sky in September 2021.[27] This was followed by the Nurture Live tour, which played in North America from September–November 2021.[28] Dates for a European tour were announced later that year, which he played in April 2022.[29] Robinson played on the Asian Nurture Live tour in March 2023,[30] and performed his last set for an extended North American tour at the Coachella festival on April 23, 2023.[31] As of October 2023, Robinson has announced an additional tour of Australia in November 2023.[32]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10[33]
Metacritic	78/100[34]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Clash	8/10[35]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10[16]
musicOMH	[19]
NME	[1]
Our Culture	[5]
Pitchfork	7.6/10[20]
PopMatters	7/10[18]
Slant Magazine	[21]
Spectrum Culture	75%[23]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Nurture received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 8 critic reviews.[34] Review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? reports an overall score of 7.5 out of 10 based on 7 critic reviews.[33]

Reviewers highlight Robinson's "knack for melody", according to Conaton,[18] with Devlin noting that the songwriting is "cutesy but massively endearing".[19] Clash's Josh Crowe feels that Robinson's vocals have a "wonderful rawness" that complement the euphoric messages of songs such as "Look at the Sky".[35] Jolley also notes a "jubilant energy" on "Something Comforting" and "Musician".[1] Pappis considers "Blossom" to be the album's "most heartfelt moment", effectively condensing Robinson's love and the "simple transcendence" of his realization to appreciate everyday life.[5] Joyce feels that Nurture "mirror the twists and turns of his headspace".[20] Paskin writes that Robinson was able to write Nurture by "freeing himself of the pressure to recapture the success of Worlds", and feels that the album is a worthy sophomore album due to its distinct identity as a work.[23]

Multiple reviewers express their appreciation for the album's sonic palette, with Simpson noting the "rippling pianos [and] lush acoustic guitars... along with propulsive beats [and] neon synths",[6] and Devlin writing about engaging sound design, such as the "crispy downsampled guitar" on "Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do".[19] While Paskin shows a regard for Robinson's experimentation on "Dullscythe", citing his "[virtuosic] production skills", Pappis feels that songs like "Mother" and "Sweet Time" are among the "weakest cuts" from the album, and are sonically unable to match the emotional intensity of the lyrics.[5] Lyons-Burt also finds "Mother" to be "cacophonous" due to its drum production.[21] Additionally, Devlin feels that the album is slightly repetitive, with Paskin commenting that the "pop tunes do tend to run together".[23] Walker writes that the length of the album obscured some of the highlights, adding that even "Unfold" feels "somewhat anticlimactic thirteen tracks deep".[16]

Notes

• All tracks recorded at In-Da-Mix Studios in Montreal, Canada.
• "Look at the Sky", "Get Your Wish" and "Something Comforting" were mastered by Zino Mikorey. "Lifelike", "Wind Tempos", "Musician", "Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do", "Mother", "Dullscythe", "Sweet Time", "Mirror", "Blossom", "Unfold" and "Trying to Feel Alive" were mastered by Randy Merrill.
• "Look at the Sky" features guitar from Yvette Young.[54]
• "Wind Tempos" has additional recordings from Masakatsu Takagi.[55]
• "Musician" contains a sample of "Think (About It)", performed by Lyn Collins, written by James Brown;[19] and "It Takes Two", performed by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, written by James Brown and Robert Ginyard;[56] as well as a currently unreleased collaborative track between Kero Kero Bonito and Robinson.[6]