Robbie Williams – Britpop

It seems Robbie Williams has mastered the balance of nostalgia and authenticity in a world that demands both. In his case, the 2024 biopic Better Man and newly-released album Britpop cover the former, while his Radical Honesty art exhibition at London’s Moco Museum and four-part Netflix documentary handle the latter.

Regarding Britpop itself, it’s had quite a journey up to this point… Initially scheduled for an October release, alongside Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl, it was then pushed back to February 2026 despite a mountain of promotion already done. Now, once again, the release date changed, and Britpop is getting a mid-January surprise drop – which does sort of make sense for an artist who portrayed himself as a CGI monkey in his own biopic.

So, Robbie Williams’ 13^th studio album is very long-awaited and hyped up by this point, described by the man himself as “the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995. It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British music”.

It turns out the hype might be well-deserved, for Britpop is the most invigorated Williams has sounded for years.

From the crashing opener Rocket – with a blazing guest appearance from Tony Iommi – to the delicate Human and thrumming synthpop of Morrissey (a fun co-write with Take That bandmate Gary Barlow), it’s a 38-minute window into where Williams currently is in his life while looking fondly back on those halcyon days. Soaring ballads like All My Life and It’s OK Until the Drugs Stop Working are the definition of heartfelt anthems Oasis and The Verve are recognised for, while rapid-fire lyrics on Bite Your Tongue and You toe the line between nonsense and brilliance in a similar fashion to Blur.

Since first arriving with Take That, Williams has been known for his frank honesty; he may have been ahead of the curve here, with the media spinning this and his frequent antics into tabloid gold back then. As Williams reclaims and reframes that time for his current image – a former bad boy popstar who’s still going, still cheeky and candid – he shows that he’s never really been away. He’s merely making a reintroduction and getting himself comfortable.

Time will tell if Britpop will age as finely as anthems like Angels and Feel. For now, let Robbie Williams entertain you and give it a listen.