''Profound Mysteries II'' is the seventh studio album by Norwegian
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
duo
Röyksopp
Röyksopp () a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different Electronic Mu ...
, released on 19 August 2022. It is the second of three albums in the ''
Profound Mysteries'' series of albums. It was released with collections of short films (each by a different director) and animated visualizations (by artist Jonathan Zawada) created to accompany each track.
Background and development
In an interview with ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''
Svein Berge
Svein is a Norwegian masculine given name. Notable people with the given name include:
Rulers
* Sweyn Haakonsson (died c. 1016), in Norwegian Svein HÃ¥konsson, an earl and co-ruler of Norway from 1000 to c. 1015
* Svein Knutsson (c. 1016–1035), ...
stated that "We are focussing on what we call ''the mystery'' – it’s rather pompous, I know," "We even added ''profound'' to turn up the nobhead-hood of it all! But anyway, the thing with ''part two'' in particular is that with this one, we point to the inspirational genres and artists who helped to forge us when we were kids." He further commented that those with a keen ear will notice heavy references to other artists like
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
and
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
, and also genres like
Italo Disco
Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, pop, ...
and '90s UK rave. It's something they've always used in their music, but that this time it's more strident. He said that "It’s meant as a tribute, not a rip-off."
Critical reception
''Profound Mysteries II'' received critical acclaim from music critics.
Eivind August of
Aftenposten
(; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
stated that the album has "Driving bass lines, slowly building rhythms and of course dreamy synth lines. This is Röyksopp as we know them, but with enough innovation that they don't just float on nostalgia."
Joakim Randa of
Bergens tidende
is Norway's fifth-largest newspaper, and the country's largest newspaper outside Oslo.
is owned by the public company Schibsted ASA. Norwegian owners held a mere 42% of the shares in Schibsted at the end of 2015.
History and profile
Founded ...
noted that "Especially in its first half, ''Profound Mysteries II'' almost sounds like the debut album ''
Melody A.M.'', but from an alternative universe." and further stated that the track ''It Was A Good Thing'' is "a truly beautiful piece of pop music and clearly the best track on the album. The production is restrained, with simple, almost resigned motifs".
Timothy Monger of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described that "Musically,
öyksoppcontinue to subtly expand their signature mix of lush downbeat drama and clever electropop, getting cinematic and darkly funked-out, sometimes in the same song" and that the album is "as satisfying as its predecessor", and that it "is yet another quality entry in Röyksopp's already sterling canon."
Marius Asp of
Verdens gang
(), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...
stated that the album "gets even better with
he track''Let's Get It Right'',
..- a smooth pop melody that benefits enormously from a warm, organic and intimate soundscape." and commented that the track ''Unity'' "is lifted to heaven by euphoric house piano, breakbeats and a powerful singing performance from British Karen Harding."
Track listing
Accompanying short films
Released between June and August 2022, alongside tracks from ''Profound Mysteries II''.
Charts
References
External links
''Profound Mysteries'' on the official Röyksopp website
{{Authority control
2022 albums
Röyksopp albums
Sequel albums