Profound Mysteries II

After taking an extended hiatus from the album format, Norwegian electronic duo Royksopp 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 Torbjorn 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 its fellow Norwegian Susanne Sundfor whose wonderful latter-day contributions make her seem like the groups honorary third member. Along with Royksopp newcomers like Astrid S and Alison Goldfrapp, Sundfor 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 projects 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 Royksopp 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 Sundfor appear on both Profound Mysteries albums, with Sundfor adding another classic to their shared catalog on the excellent "Oh, Lover." Karen Harding makes her Royksopp 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 Royksopps already sterling canon. ~ Timothy Monger