After taking an extended hiatus from the album format, Norwegian electronic duo
Röyksopp made a grand return in early 2022 with
Profound Mysteries, the first installment of an ambitious two-parter. During their first two decades together,
Svein Berge and
Torbjørn Brundtland curated an impeccable guest list of mostly female Nordic luminaries to voice their sweeping downbeat and synth-pop anthems. Swedes like
Robyn,
Lykke Li, and
Karin Dreijer have all taken memorable turns at the mike, though it's fellow Norwegian
Susanne Sundfør whose wonderful latter-day contributions make her seem like the group's honorary third member. Along with
Röyksopp newcomers like
Astrid S and
Alison Goldfrapp,
Sundfør made two strong appearances on
Profound Mysteries' first volume and returns here just a few months later for a pair of victory laps on the project's sequel. Where the overall tone of volume one was more haunted and windswept, this second set boasts a handful of irresistible club-driven tracks, particularly the two instrumental highlights, "Denimclad Baboons" and the slightly menacing "Control." With their growling synths and wily arrangements, both are quintessential
Röyksopp bangers. Musically,
Berge and
Brundtland continue to subtly expand their signature mix of lush downbeat drama and clever electropop, getting cinematic and darkly funked-out, sometimes in the same song. Adding continuity to the project,
Astrid S,
Pixx, and
Sundfør appear on both
Profound Mysteries albums, with
Sundfør adding another classic to their shared catalog on the excellent "Oh, Lover."
Karen Harding makes her
Röyksopp debut on "Unity," a rousing uptempo cut that feels like a bit of a club throwback, and fellow Brit
Jamie Irrepressible loans his yearning voice to the moody "Sorry." As satisfying as its predecessor,
Profound Mysteries II is yet another quality entry in
Röyksopp's already sterling canon. ~ Timothy Monger