You’d be forgiven for thinking Royksopp have been lying low since the late ’90s. In fact, they’ve been prolifically beavering away, with four consecutive number one albums in their native Norway. 
Svein Berge has proclaimed that their fifth LP possesses “a dark energy.” Swedish pop chanteuse and album contributor Robyn remarked: “It’s sad, but it’s not cold. It’s very warm.” And so it proves. The Inevitable End isn’t hands in the air, four-to-the-floor dance music – neither is it overly introspective electronica.
The ominous sounding ‘Skulls’ is the perfect opener, thanks to its spooky vocodered vocals. Then Robyn pops up for her first contribution, ‘Monument’, a complex and moody slice of pop somewhere between bouncy and elegiac. Sadly, The Inevitable End is quite a literal title: it appears this will be the last Royksopp LP. ”We feel like this is a goodbye to the traditional album format,” reads the promotional blurb. However, they promise to continue making music.
I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear of Royksopp. But, as their planned final long-form record, it is indeed one to savour.
Out November 21.