Royksopp - Profound Mysteries II (2LP)

Röyksopp’s Profound Mysteries project felt like an event from the moment it kicked off, a full universe to step into rather than a single record drop. The second instalment, Profound Mysteries II, arrived on 19 August 2022 and lands that sweet spot the duo do so well, where club pulse meets widescreen melancholy and the synths feel both futuristic and oddly human. Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have been chasing that feeling since their early days, and this chapter shows how sharp their instincts remain when they stretch out across a larger canvas.

If part one set the table, part two pours the good wine. The songs glide with a confidence that comes from experience, the kind that lets a big chorus bloom without smothering the atmosphere around it. Take Oh, Lover with longtime collaborator Susanne Sundfør. Her voice sits in the track like a lighthouse, cutting through glassy pads and a slow build that keeps adding tiny details, a clipped hi-hat here, a synth flicker there, until the whole thing swells and then pulls back with real restraint. Sundfør has history with the duo, from Running to the Sea through The Inevitable End, and you can hear the trust. They give her room, she gives them gravitas.

Unity, featuring Karen Harding, leans into their pop club streak. The groove is sleek and elastic, made for late nights but not in a disposable way. Röyksopp are masters of contour, so the kick thumps but never stomps, the bass moves rather than shouts, and when the hook comes it feels earned. There is a lot of emotion riding quietly under the surface, the little shifts in harmony that make a dance track feel like a story rather than a loop. You can imagine it threading through a DJ set, yet it still holds up in the living room with a decent pair of speakers and a cup of tea.

Across the record the duo shape tension in patient arcs. They love analogue texture, those saw-tooth edges and misty strings that nod to vintage synth lore without falling into retro cosplay. More than once a song starts in a fog of ambience and you think it might drift forever, then a crisp drum machine snaps into focus and off you go. Even the more shadowy passages carry warmth. That balance is hard to nail, and they make it sound effortless.

The wider Profound Mysteries world matters here too. Each track arrived with a visual artefact by Australian artist Jonathan Zawada, plus short films by a rotating cast of directors, and the effect is cumulative. You do not need to watch anything to enjoy the album, but knowing the project is designed as a constellation makes sense of the pacing. II plays like the bridge between the bright contours of the first volume and the heavier moods that would follow, a neat middle act that deepens the themes rather than repeating them.

Listeners who care about the format should seek out Profound Mysteries II vinyl. Röyksopp albums on vinyl tend to reward a proper sit down, and this one is sequenced with the side flip in mind, letting the tension breathe before it builds again. The low end is generous without getting boomy, and the little filigree sounds that can blur on earbuds pop into place on a turntable. If you collect Röyksopp vinyl, this feels essential, the kind of record that reminds you why you bother with black wax at all.

As for buying, it is easy to find decent pressings now, and you can buy Röyksopp records online through the usual shops if you are not near a Melbourne record store. For crate diggers in Australia, keep an eye on local distributors since stock can move fast when a trilogy like this ties together so neatly. Profound Mysteries II sits well next to their earlier classics, but it also just plays beautifully on its own. For anyone browsing vinyl records Australia wide, this is a safe recommendation that still feels like a bit of a discovery.

In short, the second chapter proves the concept. Big pop moments, intricate production, smart sequencing, and a conceptual frame that actually enriches the listening. It is easy to slice the trilogy into playlists, but there is real pleasure in letting this volume run front to back and catching the way the duo set up questions and only half answer them. That curiosity at the heart of Röyksopp is still intact, and it glows right through Profound Mysteries II.