The Inevitable End

This article is about the Röyksopp album. For the Swedish death metal band, see Inevitable End.
The Inevitable End
Studio album by Röyksopp
Released 7 November 2014
Genre
Length 60:49
Label Dog Triumph
Producer Röyksopp
Röyksopp chronology

Do It Again
(2014)		 The Inevitable End
(2014)
Singles from The Inevitable End
  1. "Monument (T.I.E Version)"
    Released: 9 September 2014
  2. "Skulls"
    Released: 29 September 2014
  3. "Sordid Affair"
    Released: 13 October 2014
  4. "I Had This Thing"
    Released: 30 January 2015

The Inevitable End is the fifth and final studio album by Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp, released on 7 November 2014 by Dog Triumph. Svein Berge stated the album has "a dark energy", while Robyn described the album: "It's sad, but it's not cold. It's very warm."[1]

The group have announced this is their final studio album in the traditional sense, adding that they are "not going to stop making music, but the album format as such, this is the last thing from us".[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 75/100[3]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [4]
Billboard [5]
Entertainment Weekly A−[6]
Exclaim! 9/10[7]
The Guardian [8]
NME 5/10
The Observer [9]
Pitchfork Media 5.9/10[10]
PopMatters 8/10[11]
Slant Magazine [12]

The Inevitable End received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 20 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3] Madison Vain of Entertainment Weekly noted that the album "showcase[s] the best of the duo's trance-y instrumentals, propulsive hooks, and bubbling beats."[6] Scott Simpson of Exclaim! opined that Röyksopp "have recorded the best final album they could have envisioned: a layered and cohesive package of enveloping synths filled with addictive hooks."[7] Timothy Monger of AllMusic viewed the album as "a strong finale in the duo's signature style and whether or not this truly is the end or merely the end of their album era, The Inevitable End sits among the best in Röyksopp's catalog."[4] Billboard‍ '​s Jamieson Cox stated that the duo were "leaving on a high note" and lauded the album as "sublime melancholy electro-pop, rich and emotionally resonant without feeling maudlin."[5] Ryan Lathan of PopMatters called the album "gorgeously produced" and wrote that it "will never be looked upon as a terribly uplifting experience, but its lyrical content treats heartache, despair, self-hatred, remorse, depression, and the fear of the unknown with utter respect."[11]

Franklin Jones of Slant Magazine commented, "Though the album doesn't skimp on potentially insufferable moments of bottom-lip-biting farewell [...] the best tracks boast a fiercely renewed energy that suggests Berge and Brundtland still have much more to offer."[12] Corinne Jones of The Observer remarked that "[t]he best songs have a dark, brooding quality: the Norwegian duo's once naive sound has evolved to a smarter, more lyrically resonant electronica, and if it weren't for a couple of whimsical ballads, this would be a powerful, cohesive goodbye."[9] At The Guardian, Michael Hann found that The Inevitable End "embodies [Röyksopp's] strengths and [...] weaknesses"; he cited "Running to the Sea" and "Sordid Affair" as standouts from the album, but felt that the album contains "too much drift".[8] Pitchfork Media's Marc Hogan expressed, "Despite capable guest vocalists, including Robyn herself, [the album is] generally devoted to glossy, bittersweet electronic drifts that are too slow, too long, or too bland to hold interest for 60 minutes, though often unobjectionable in smaller servings."[10] Phil Hebblethwaite of the NME characterised the album as "the sound of a band once introspective but alive, now lost, depressed and completely unavailable."[13]

Commercial performance

The Inevitable End debuted at number thirty-eight on the UK Albums Chart, selling 3,487 copies in its first week.[14] In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 102 and the Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number two, with first-week sales of 4,000 copies.[15][16]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Röyksopp, except where noted. 

Disc 1
No. TitleWriter(s)Vocals Length
1. "Skulls"   Röyksopp 3:46
2. "Monument" (T.I.E Version)
  • Röyksopp
  • Robyn
 4:47
3. "Sordid Affair"   Man Without Country (Ryan James) 6:20
4. "You Know I Have to Go"   Jamie Irrepressible 7:35
5. "Save Me"   Susanne Sundfør 4:36
6. "I Had This Thing"  
  • Röyksopp
  • Jamie Irrepressible
Jamie Irrepressible 5:48
7. "Rong"  
  • Röyksopp
  • Robyn
Robyn 2:32
8. "Here She Comes Again"   Jamie Irrepressible 5:02
9. "Running to the Sea"   Susanne Sundfør 4:56
10. "Compulsion"  
  • Röyksopp
  • Jamie Irrepressible
Jamie Irrepressible 6:59
11. "Coup de Grace"     3:19
12. "Thank You"   Röyksopp 6:36
Disc 2
No. TitleWriter(s)Vocals Length
1. "Do It Again" (RYXP Version)
  • Röyksopp
  • Robyn
Robyn 7:03
2. "Goodnite, Mr. Sweetheart"     5:02
3. "Caramel Afternoon"     2:20
4. "Oh No!"     1:42
5. "Something in My Heart"  
  • Röyksopp
  • Jamie Irrepressible
Jamie Irrepressible 5:29

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Inevitable End.[18]

  • Röyksopp – instruments, mastering, production (all tracks); vocals ("Skulls", "Monument" (T.I.E Version), "Thank You", "I Just Don't Understand You"); artwork
  • Kato Ådland – guitar ("I Had This Thing")
  • Stian Andersen – photo of Juliane S
  • Walter Coelho – mastering (all except "Skulls", "Running to the Sea" and "Thank You")
  • DEF Ltd. – management
  • Jamie Irrepressible – vocals ("You Know I Have to Go", "I Had This Thing", "Here She Comes Again", "Compulsion", "Something in My Heart")
  • Man Without Country (Ryan James) – vocals ("Sordid Affair")
  • Mike Marsh – mastering ("Skulls", "Running to the Sea", "Thank You")
  • Arnau Pi – artwork
  • Robyn – vocals ("Monument" (T.I.E Version), "Rong", "Do It Again" (RYXP Version))
  • Davide Rossi – strings ("Rong", "Oh No!")
  • Susanne Sundfør – vocals ("Save Me", "Running to the Sea"); additional vocal effects ("Here She Comes Again")

Charts

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 26
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 45
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[22] 34
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[23] 53
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 137
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 54
Greek Albums (IFPI)[26] 72
Irish Albums (IRMA)[27] 75
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[28] 13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] 241
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 39
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32] 87
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 38
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[35] 5
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[36] 2
US Billboard 200[16] 103
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[37] 2

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia 7 November 2014
Pod [38][39][40]
Ireland
  • CD
  • digital download
[41][42]
Japan 8 November 2014
  • Beat
  • Dog Triumph
 [17][43]
United Kingdom 9 November 2014 Digital download
  • Dog Triumph
  • Wall of Sound
 [44]
United States LP
[45]
France 10 November 2014
  • CD
  • digital download
 Polydor [46][47]
Norway
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Dog Triumph [48][49]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • LP
  • Dog Triumph
  • Wall of Sound
 [50][51]
United States
  • CD
  • digital download
  • Cherrytree
  • Interscope
 [52][53]
Germany 21 November 2014
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Embassy of Music [54][55][56]
France 8 December 2014 LP Polydor [57]

References

  1. ↑ Caldwell, Patrick (25 August 2014). "Robyn: Röyksopp's New Album Is "Fucking Amazing"". Mother Jones. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Goodbye to the traditional album format…". royksopp.com. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Reviews for The Inevitable End by Röyksopp". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Monger, Timothy. "The Inevitable End – Röyksopp". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cox, Jamieson (13 November 2014). "Album Review: Norwegian Duo Royksopp Leave on a High Note With Final Release 'The Inevitable End'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Vain, Madison (21 November 2014). "The Inevitable End Review". Entertainment Weekly (1337–1338). Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Simpson, Scott (7 November 2014). "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hann, Michael (6 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End review – Scandipop highs and electronica lows". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Jones, Corinne (9 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End review – poignant and brooding electronica". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hogan, Marc (14 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lathan, Ryan (13 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jones, Franklin (8 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  13. ↑ Hebblethwaite, Phil (17 November 2014). "Royksopp – 'The Inevitable End'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (17 November 2014). "Official Charts analysis: Wake Me Up returns to singles summit as Children In Need charity track". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014. (subscription required)
  15. ↑ Murray, Gordon (21 November 2014). "Mr. Probz Rides 'Waves' to No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Billboard 200 : Nov 29, 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Royksopp – The Inevitable End". Beatink. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  18. ↑ The Inevitable End (CD liner notes). Röyksopp. Dog Triumph. 2014. DOG013CD.
  19. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Australiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  21. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End" (in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  24. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  26. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 2/2015)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  28. ↑ "Top 20 Indie Individual Artist Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  29. ↑ ジ・インエヴィタブル・エンド [The Inevitable End] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  30. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  31. ↑ "2014-11-22 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  32. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  33. ↑ "Röyksopp – The Inevitable End". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  34. ↑ "2014-11-22 Top 40 UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  35. ↑ "2014-11-22 Top 40 Dance Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  36. ↑ "2014-11-22 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  37. ↑ "Dance/Electronic Albums : Nov 29, 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  38. ↑ "Inevitable End, The". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  39. ↑ "Inevitable End, The (Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  40. ↑ "The Inevitable End by Röyksopp". iTunes Store (AU). Apple. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  41. ↑ "Royksopp – Inevitable End". Tower Records Ireland. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  42. ↑ "The Inevitable End by Röyksopp". 7digital (IE). Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  43. ↑ "The Inevitable End: Röyksopp: MP3 Downloads" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  44. ↑ "The Inevitable End: Röyksopp: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  45. ↑ "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End (Explicit) (Vinyl)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  46. ↑ "Inevitable end – Röyksopp – CD album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  47. ↑ "The Inevitable End [Explicit]: Röyksopp: Téléchargements MP3" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  48. ↑ "Röyksopp gir ut The Inevitable End mandag 10. november. Ny singel og video ute nå" [Röyksopp to release The Inevitable End on Monday 10 November. New single and video out now] (in Norwegian). Warner Music Norway. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  49. ↑ "The Inevitable End by Röyksopp". 7digital (NO). Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  50. ↑ "The Inevitable End by Royksopp". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  51. ↑ "The Inevitable End [VINYL] by Royksopp". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  52. ↑ "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End (Explicit)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  53. ↑ "The Inevitable End [Explicit]: Röyksopp: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  54. ↑ "The Inevitable End" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  55. ↑ "The Inevitable End [Vinyl LP]" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  56. ↑ "The Inevitable End: Röyksopp: MP3-Downloads" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  57. ↑ "Inevitable end – Gatefold – Röyksopp – Vinyl album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 21 November 2014.