When a dude covers a classic Robyn song, things can go very, very wrong. Yesterday, for instance, the deeply annoying but fast-rising pop artist Malcolm Todd sang "Dancing On My Own" in a Gap commercial that also features Obsession star Inde Navarrette. (She's innocent in all this.) We thought about posting that ad just to make fun of it, but what would we even say? It fucking sucks. It's depressing. It makes me wonder whether I even like "Dancing On My Own" as much as I thought I did. Here, look:
Yuck. Fuck that shit. Anyway. Perhaps to help wash that acrid taste out of our collective mouth, Robyn's fellow Stockholm titan Yung Lean has finally released his version of "Robotboy," from Robyn's brilliant 2005 self-titled album. Last year, before she even announced her new album Sexistential, Robyn teased that cover at a fashion show last year. Before that, Robyn and Yung Lean both appeared on Charli XCX's "360" remix, and Robyn and Lean both joined Charli onstage in London.
Robyn collaborator Klas Åhlund produced Yung Lean's "Robotboy" cover, which offers a droning and minimal take on the already-restrained original. Yung Lean recorded his take on the song at Robyn's request. Last year, Robyn told Dazed Digital, "The song feels like it was made for him, not me… When Jonatan sings 'Robotboy,' it’s like he is singing to himself, serenading an old version of himself. Whereas when I sing it, it’s like I’m singing to a brother or a lover. I was excited to hear his version." Below, hear Yung Lean's cover and Robyn's original.
Yung Lean's version of "Robotboy" is out now on Young.
