Röyksopp - True Electric (Album Review)

Photo: Stian Andersen

Röyksopp’s ‘True Electric’ is a 19-track time capsule inspired by 2023’s tour of the same name, with the Norwegian electronica duo attempting to harness the energy of those oscillating live sets.  Like diving headfirst into an arctic pool only to emerge in a neon-lit club, it achieves its goal by sliding seamlessly between icy atmospherics and sweat-inducing beats.

Opener The Ladder sets the tone perfectly, its hypnotic rhythm building like gathering storm clouds before spilling into Alison Goldfrapp’s haunting vocals on Impossible. The journey moves effortlessly into This Time, This Place’, where Beki Mari’s ethereal voice floats above twitching electronics during a ‘Profound Mysteries’-era heavy opening run.

For Röyksopp, the middle of the set isn’t time to go slow. As they move through the collection, the midpoint swells with crowd-pleasers.

Robyn collaborations The Girl and the Robot and Monument stand tall like electro-pop skyscrapers, providing the album’s most jubilant peaks, though the transitions occasionally feel more calculated than organic, like the jarring shift between the reflective Oh, Lover and the more upbeat Unity.

Setlist debates will last longer than the Earth, and what side you’re on here depends entirely on what era of Röyksopp you prefer. While their  'Junior’ period gets ample representation, for example, their breakthrough debut 'Melody A.M.' feels conspicuously underserved in this retelling. 

The album’s final third delivers a glorious payoff with the one-two punch of I Had This Thing and Feel It before Do It Again provides a euphoric climax. When experienced through headphones, these tracks transport you from quiet contemplation to dancefloor euphoria, though without the spectacular visuals of their live show, the raw energy remains just out of reach. Still, ‘True Electric’ is a worthy experiment as Röyksopp nearly capture lightning in a bottle.

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