Robbie Williams- Britpop (review)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 16 January 2026

Following on from his biopic film Better Man, Robbie returns for his next studio album.

Britpop is described as the album Williams had wanted to make when he first envisioned himself going solo, leaving Take That in 1995, an era defined by the Britpop music scene. This sound is achieved, unfortunately. Williams’ best work came when he left behind Britpop and welcomed in post-millennium pop rock, making it all the more disappointing to see him return to a genre characterised by whiny vocals and mindless strumming of guitars, with little other instrumentation to be heard. Most tracks don’t stand on their own as they maintain no unique features. The worst part of this is knowing the talent that Williams holds and has exhibited over the past 30 years.

Perhaps the only saving grace is Human, the single featuring Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy. The track is more laidback and dreamy, removing that grungy influence for a more clean instrumentation, while the Spanish lyrics from the featured artists create a nice change. Morrissey is also different as it incorporates an electronic influence, though the poor lyrics remove any merit.

The most original thing about this album is the artwork, which sees a portrait of Williams in a museum being graffitied by protestors from a group called Just Stop Pop, a parody of Just Stop Oil.

The songs aren’t necessarily bad, just unoriginal.

It appears this project is something Williams has wanted to do for a long time, so let’s hope that he’s now got it out of his system and will go back to his pop rock sound in future.

5/10