Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again [EP Review]

Norwegian Electronic music duo Röyksopp teamed up with Swedish Recording Artist Robyn to produce an EP entitled Do It Again, which features 5 tracks; opening with the smooth electronic jazz mix track, ‘Monument’, which features subdued vocals from Robyn. The instrumentals on ‘Monument’ are just that; monumental. The shifts in tempo and the variety of electronic sounds being produced are captivating and engaging enough to hold your attention for the 9 minutes 57 seconds that the track consumes, which is no small feat. Whilst ‘Sayit’ is an exploratory piece, featuring human and mechanical vocals, which create an intriguing contrast and help to build the tempo of the track, resulting in an effective dance vibe. 

‘Do It Again’, the title track from the EP, features a feverish display of electronic vibes, whilst the subject of the track is all about chaos and knowing that it’s wrong, but still wanting to, as the song goes, ‘Do It Again’. This is echoed rather poignantly in the lyrics, we see Robyn on top form; ‘We should not be friends/ We’ll just do it again/ If you stay around/ We’ll just do it again’. ‘Do It Again’ showcases the momentous feeling the builds until breaking point, and after that feeling is over, you want to feel it again – and this is reflected in the building of the tempo as the track reaches its breaking point with Robyn’s repetition of ‘Again’ signalling the madness ensuing. You can read our full-length review of the single, 'Do It Again' [and the accompanying music video], here. 

‘Every Little Thing’ is a particular mid-tempo gem, featuring soft vocals from Robyn, that combined with the beat, make for a haunting sound that isn’t easy to forget. The track oozes nostalgia, as if the pair has been friends for a life-time. ‘Every Little Thing’ is the shortest track on the EP, coming in at just over 4 minutes [4:03], yet it is still a highly effective addition, which mixes usual electronic beats with more dramatic instruments that display the type of passion that the artist express through their music; ‘Baby, why you falter/ When you know I’m waiting/ When you know I’m waiting here’. 

‘Inside The Idle Hour Club’ is the last track on the EP, and is almost as long as the opening track, coming in at 9 minutes, 54 seconds. This makes for an impressionable conclusion to the EP, as most of the track is intrinsic instrumentals, which build that type of pace that you just don’t get from vocally-heavy tracks. The track combines deep bass beats with lighter, string instrumentals that give off a quintessential club acoustic, which is a very fitting end to their collaborative EP. ‘Inside The Idle Hour Club’ is perhaps a more deeply fitting title, as the track has a soothing aura, but ultimately does feeling like you’re passing by time – but that you don’t really care; it’s an infectious calm. 

Whilst we would have liked to hear a bit more of Robyn’s addictive vocals, the explosive pairing is satisfying enough in this particular EP, as Röyksopp and Robyn prove to be a force to be dealt with when they combine their musical efforts, and the EP is extravagant and bold, with intrinsic electronic styling’s that are unrivalled.