With their warm, inviting take on downbeat, Norwegian duo Röyksopp survived the electronica boom of the early 2000s to become one of the most enduring electronic acts of their time. On early tracks like "Eple" and "Poor Leno," and their 2001 breakthrough debut Melody A.M., they blended house, R&B, and the atmospheres of IDM into more traditional downbeat sounds, and their use of multiple guest vocalists further added to their versatility. A major success in their homeland, where their first four albums topped the charts, Röyksopp were also an international success, hitting a mainstream peak in the late 2000s with 2009's guest-packed Junior and its introspective instrumental counterpart, 2010's Senior. Though they shied away from typical album-based releases after 2014's majestically melancholy supposed farewell The Inevitable End, Röyksopp continued to issue music in the form of singles, mixes, and collections such as 2021's Lost Tapes. They eventually returned to album-making in 2022 with the ambitious and highly collaborative three-volume series, Profound Mysteries I, II, and III.
In June 2013, Brundtland and Berge resurfaced with their volume of LateNightTales, which featured a cover of Depeche Mode's "Ice Machine" with Susanne Sundfør on vocals. That December, they reunited with Sundfør on "Running to the Sea," a single that included the B-side "Something in My Heart," a collaboration with the Irrepressibles' Jamie McDermott. The following May, they teamed up with Robyn on the Do It Again EP to promote their joint tour. That November, Röyksopp released what was billed as their final album. Setting a fittingly dark yet energetic mood, The Inevitable End included more collaborations with Sundfør, McDermott, and Robyn. Their first and only full-length to reach number two in Norway, the album peaked at 38 in the U.K. and reached 103 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart in the U.S., their highest position on that chart.
In 2022, Röyksopp marked their return to the album format in a grand way. Released in April, Profound Mysteries introduced an expansive new project that comprised a full-length album with guest appearances from singers like Alison Goldfrapp and Beki Mari as well as an accompanying short film and music visualizer. It turned out to be only the first in a three-album project with Profound Mysteries II arriving that August. Like its predecessor, the second volume was similarly collaborative, and along with its corresponding visual component featured guests like Astrid S, Karen Harding, Jamie Irrepressible, and longtime foil Susanne Sundfør. Closing out the project, November's Profound Mysteries III included guests from the now familiar roster of Goldfrapp, Irrepressible, Sundfør, and others. ~ Heather Phares & John Bush, Rovi
