Image: Dan Regan
Acclaimed vocalist, songwriter and producer Porter Robinson is blessing fans with the announcement of his first record in seven years, Nurture! Due out this April, the musician has shared the latest taste of the album with the release of his new single, Look At The Sky.
After reaching critical acclaim with his debut record Worlds, Porter experienced the anxiety that can follow after feeling pressure due to his musical success, which ultimately led to a struggle to create which was exacerbated by his brother’s diagnosis with a rare and aggressive cancer. Porter found himself nestling back into his songwriting though experimentation with new sounds inspired by early-aughts rave music, which turned into critically acclaimed side project Virtual Self.
Finding himself returning to the piano, Porter found himself creating Nurture, an album that serves as a documentation of that period of time within his life, whilst also creating a body of work centred around hope and persistence. Set to be an intimate listening experience, Nurture champions the power of vulnerability while paying homage to the struggles that pushed him to grow. The record will be released in a number of formats, including limited edition coloured vinyl and a Deluxe Vinyl Box, all available for pre-order here.
Following up the previous singles Mirror, Get It Your Way and Something Comforting and navigates themes of hope. Porter shares. “There’s no shortage of fuel for despair, but you can’t take meaningful action to improve things if you don’t have some belief that things might get better. That’s what hope is, and I think it’s an emotion worth nourishing. I wrote this song at my lowest point emotionally, when I thought I couldn’t make music anymore, and I wasn’t sure if my existence would have any meaning if I couldn’t make music. In the lyrics, I’m sort of imagining what life would be like once I was on the other side of all that fear and anxiety and sadness. I’m happy to report that it’s amazing on the other side of all this, and I’m so glad I had hope and persisted.”