To try to define New York’s underground pop product Bentley Robles feels like a fool’s errand - at best you can provide context, but rigid definitions appear unfairly limiting. That said, there is a title that Robles is proud to wear: Main Pop Boy. He earns this distinction on his acclaimed 2023 EP UGLY CRIER, a dynamic dance showcase in the wake of heartbreak. An effective “crying-in-the-club” propaganda piece, UGLY CRIER masks its melancholy lyrics with upbeat production fitting for clubs across the country. 

As if he had anything to prove, Robles has returned with a deluxe edition of his debut EP with reinforcements. Included in the three additional tracks is a collaboration with Reysha Rami on “Be a Good Boy,” the two meeting on their respective paths to pop stardom with effortless chemistry. “IAM IAM IAM,” the opening track of the deluxe, is described as Robles as “a caffeinated anthem of liberation”: “It’s an ode to a new idea: when people say you are something negative, instead of arguing, you reply with ‘I am,’” he says of the track. “It’s my big main pop girl moment. With a chorus people will scream in the shower & blast in the car with their friends, it's destined to be your new pop mantra.” As momentum builds in Robles’ favor, he is left to define himself in his music, however he sees fit.

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