"Profound Mysteries" is the sixth studio album by Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp, released on April 29, 2022. It is the first of three albums in the Profound Mysteries series, featuring collections of short films directed by different filmmakers and animated visualizations by artist Jonathan Zawada, created to accompany each track.
In 2014, Röyksopp stated that their fifth studio album, The Inevitable End, would be their final release in a traditional album format. By 2016, with the release of the non-album single "Never Ever," Torbjørn Brundtland explained their desire to explore various musical expressions without the constraints of a full album. Svein Berge added that themes of endings and death in The Inevitable End felt like a natural send-off, leading them to seek new ways of releasing music.
Following this, the duo focused on remixes, collaborations, and rarities, including their Lost Tapes collection. At the end of December 2021, they launched a new Instagram account, sparking speculation about a new project. The account included a message to "Press R" and linked to an interactive version of their official website, allowing users to hear new music. Shortly after, they released short films for "(Nothing But) Ashes" and "The Ladder."
On February 2, 2022, Röyksopp announced Profound Mysteries, detailing its release date and unveiling the album artwork by Jonathan Zawada. They premiered the track "Impossible," featuring Alison Goldfrapp, and described the project as an "expanded creative universe," rather than a traditional album. The concept was rooted in their fascination with the infinite and the impossible.
Goldfrapp expressed her joy in collaborating with the band, having been a longtime fan. In February, they released a short film titled The Conversation, directed by Martin de Thurah, which featured additional new music. Another track, "This Time, This Place…," featuring Beki Mari, was also released that day. Mari described the collaboration as a "divine blessing."
March 2022 saw the release of the single "Breathe," featuring Astrid S, along with a short film directed by Andreas Nilsson. Astrid S expressed her admiration for Röyksopp, noting their significant influence on her music. In April 2022, the band confirmed there would be ten short films to accompany the project, one for each track.
Initially, they considered a single director for the project but opted for a broader collaboration, allowing nine directors from the production company Bacon to create films for individual songs. The band provided basic guidelines, stepping back to give each director creative freedom. The resulting films were designed to evoke personal interpretations rather than serve as traditional music videos.
The sixth single, "If You Want Me," featuring Susanne Sundfør, was released shortly before the album's launch, accompanied by a visualizer and a short film titled Mycelium. Sundfør expressed her excitement about the collaboration, calling it the best work they had created together.
