"Missing U" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

, released on 1 August 2018 as the lead single from her eighth studio album, ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

'' (2018). It serves as her first solo single in eight years. The song premiered on

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

's show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. The single was preceded by a seven-minute short video used to promote the single.

Background

"Missing U" is Robyn's first solo release since her triple album '' Body Talk'' (2010). Robyn released several collaborative EPs including '' Do It Again'' (2014) and ''

Love Is Free "Love Is Free" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. It was released as the second single from Crow's sixth studio album ''Detours (Sheryl Crow album), Detours''. Its predecessor "Shine over Babylon" was airpla ...

'' (2015). Robyn also had an appearance on the HBO series ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

'' soundtrack with the song "Honey" before work on her eighth studio album began. The demo for the song was created by Robyn in mid-2014 on her laptop along with a

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far mo ...

machine and a software synth. She noted that the lyrics for the song took two years to complete before finishing them with producers Joseph Mount and Klas Åhlund.

Composition

"Missing U" is a

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song about when people disappear as well as the singer's relationship with her fans. The chorus is backed by bubbling synths, while the rest of the song contains a minimal drum beat and grandiose synth loops. The song is considered a departure from Robyn's previous work, lacking the climax that her previous songs had, instead taking on a more demo-like quality. The song was written and produced by Robyn,

Klas Åhlund Klas Frans Åhlund (born 11 April 1972) is a Swedish songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. He is the founding member of the Swedish rock band Teddybears. As a songwriter and producer, he has worked with artists such as Robyn, Sugababes, Jor ...

, and

Joseph Mount Joseph Patrick Kennith Mount (born 11 September 1982) is an English musician and record producer. He is the founder of British band Metronomy. Biography Mount started out as a rock and roll drummer, playing in various bands at school and then ...

Critical reception

Amanda Arnold, writing for '' The Cut'', called the song "characteristically dance-y and synth-based and impossible to get out of your head once it's there." She also compared the song favourably to Robyn's previous singles "

Dancing on My Own "Dancing On My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Body Talk Pt. 1'' (2010), the first in her ''Body Talk'' series. "Dancing On My Own" was produced by ...

" and "

Call Your Girlfriend "Call Your Girlfriend" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her seventh studio album, '' Body Talk'' (2010). It was released as the album's second single on 1 April 2011. The song was written by Robyn, Klas Åhlund and Alexander ...

". Spencer Kornhaber of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' wrote that "Robyn holds back just enough to describe something too difficult, or too ephemeral, to deal with otherwise."

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Adapted from

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. *

Robin Carlsson Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...

– vocals, composition, co-production *

– composition, production, bass guitar, synthesizer programming *

– composition, production, programming * John Hanes – mix engineering, studio personnel * Randy Merrill – master engineering, studio personnel * Serban Ghenea – mixing, studio personnel

Charts

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2018 singles 2018 songs Disco songs Robyn songs Songs written by Klas Åhlund Songs written by Robyn Synth-pop ballads Songs written by Joseph Mount