The Inevitable End

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This article is about the Röyksopp album. For the Swedish death metal band, see Inevitable End.

The Inevitable End
Studio album by
Röyksopp
Released7 November 2014 (2014-11-07)
Genre
Length60:49
LabelDog Triumph
ProducerRöyksopp
Röyksopp chronology
Do It Again
(2014) 		The Inevitable End
(2014) 		Profound Mysteries
(2022)
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 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 as "sad, but it's not cold. It's very warm."[3] Four singles were released from the album: "Monument" (T.I.E. Version), "Skulls", "Sordid Affair" and "I Had This Thing".

In September 2014, the duo announced that The Inevitable End would be 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".[4] In 2022, the duo announced a new "musical project" entitled Profound Mysteries, consisting of three albums released on 29 April, 19 August, and 18 November 2022.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.2/10[5]
Metacritic75/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Billboard[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[8]
Exclaim!9/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
NME5/10[11]
The Observer[12]
Pitchfork5.9/10[13]
PopMatters8/10[14]
Slant Magazine[15]
Nordlys5/6[16]

The Inevitable End received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 20 reviews.[6] 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."[8] 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."[9] 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."[7] 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."[1] 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."[14]

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."[15] 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."[12] 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".[10] Pitchfork'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."[13] Phil Hebblethwaite of NME characterised the album as "the sound of a band once introspective but alive, now lost, depressed and completely unavailable."[11]

Commercial performance[edit]

The Inevitable End debuted at number 38 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 3,487 copies in its first week.[17] In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 103 and the Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number two, with first-week sales of 4,000 copies.[18][19]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Röyksopp, except where noted

Disc one
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Skulls"Röyksopp3:46
2."Monument" (T.I.E. Version) (writers: Röyksopp, Robyn)
  • Röyksopp
  • Robyn
4:47
3."Sordid Affair"Man Without Country (Ryan James)6:20
4."You Know I Have to Go"Jamie Irrepressible7:35
5."Save Me"Susanne Sundfør4:36
6."I Had This Thing" (writers: Röyksopp, Jamie Irrepressible)Jamie Irrepressible5:48
7."Rong" (writers: Röyksopp, Robyn)Robyn2:32
8."Here She Comes Again"Jamie Irrepressible5:02
9."Running to the Sea"Susanne Sundfør4:56
10."Compulsion" (writers: Röyksopp, Jamie Irrepressible)Jamie Irrepressible6:59
11."Coup de Grace" 3:19
12."Thank You"Röyksopp6:36
Disc two: Prologue (original issue)
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Do It Again" (RYXP Version) (writers: Röyksopp, Robyn)Robyn7:03
2."Goodnite, Mr. Sweetheart" 5:02
3."Caramel Afternoon" 2:20
4."Oh No!" 1:42
5."Something in My Heart" (writers: Röyksopp, Jamie Irrepressible)Jamie Irrepressible5:29
Japanese edition bonus track[20]
No.TitleLength
6."I Just Don't Understand You"4:39
Disc two: Prologue (2017 reissue)
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Do It Again" (RYXP Version) (writers: Röyksopp, Robyn)Robyn7:03
2."Something in My Heart" (writers: Röyksopp, Jamie Irrepressible)Jamie Irrepressible5:29
3."Oh No!" 1:42
4."Goodnite, Mr. Sweetheart" 5:02
5."Caramel Afternoon" 2:20
6."In the End"Man Without Country (Ryan James), Susanne Sundfør6:16

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Inevitable End.[21]

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

Charts[edit]

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 26
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 45
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[25] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 53
French Albums (SNEP)[27] 137
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 54
Greek Albums (IFPI)[29] 72
Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] 75
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[31] 13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] 241
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[33] 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] 39
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[35] 87
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[37] 38
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[38] 5
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[39] 2
US Billboard 200[40] 103
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[41] 2

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia 7 November 2014
Pod [42][43][44]
Ireland
[45][46][47]
Japan 8 November 2014
  • CD
  • digital download
  • Beat
  • Dog Triumph
 [20][48]
United Kingdom 9 November 2014 Digital download
  • Dog Triumph
  • Wall of Sound
 [49]
France 10 November 2014
  • CD
  • digital download
 Polydor [50][51]
Norway
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Dog Triumph [52][53]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • LP
  • Dog Triumph
  • Wall of Sound
 [54][55]
United States
  • CD
  • digital download
[56][57]
Germany 21 November 2014
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Embassy of Music [58][59][60]
France 8 December 2014 LP Polydor [61]
United States 15 December 2014
  • Cherrytree
  • Interscope
 [62]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Cox, Jamieson (13 November 2014). "Album Review: Norwegian Duo Royksopp Leave on a High Note With Final Release 'The Inevitable End'". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  2. ^ De Federicis, Guy (4 December 2014). "Music Review: Royksopp – 'The Inevitable End' [Their Final Album]". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  3. ^ Caldwell, Patrick (25 August 2014). "Robyn: Röyksopp's New Album Is "Fucking Amazing"". Mother Jones. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  4. ^ Beauchemin, Molly (29 September 2014). "Röyksopp Announce Final Album The Inevitable End, Share New Song "Skulls"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  5. ^ "The Inevitable End by Röyksopp reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Reviews for The Inevitable End by Röyksopp". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "The Inevitable End – Röyksopp". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  8. ^ a b Vain, Madison (21 November 2014). "The Inevitable End". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1337–1338. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  9. ^ a b Simpson, Scott (7 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". Exclaim!. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b Hann, Michael (6 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End review – Scandipop highs and electronica lows". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b Hebblethwaite, Phil (17 November 2014). "Royksopp – 'The Inevitable End'". NME. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  12. ^ a b Jones, Corinne (9 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End review – poignant and brooding electronica". The Observer. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  13. ^ a b Hogan, Marc (14 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  14. ^ a b Lathan, Ryan (13 November 2014). "Röyksopp: The Inevitable End". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
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