A Synthetic Pop Odyssey

We’ve seen this before. A Röyksopp & Robyn collaboration on “The Girl and the Robot” delighted audiences worldwide in 2009 with a tale of a forlorn girl and her workaholic, aloof boyfriend/robot. The icy pop banger won the hearts of critics and fans alike with its accessibility and sincerity. Now, this power-pop trio are at it again with a mini LP/EP (call it what you want), Do It Again. The Norwegian electronic music duo and the Stockholm pop princess mix their penchant for eclectic synth-pop and chart-topping vocal melodies, respectively, on this new EP.

Do It Again opens up with “Monument,” a progressive amalgamation of angelic synths, vocal manipulation and a somber atmosphere enhanced by saxophones and rolling toms. Robyn sings, “I will let this monument / represent a moment of my life,” and “so that when the moment comes / I can say I did it all with love.” It’s a statement disguised as a pop song. It’s a need to have a reputation precede you, whether it be musical or a lifetime achievement. It’s a valiant effort, but like any aim to erect a commemorative piece, it will be fleeting. “Monument” is reflective and sleek and can be argued to be confident, but it lacks the intensity that you would expect from a song titled “Monument.”

“Sayit” is a dark, glitchy techno track with a possible nod to “The Girl and the Robot.” Robyn instructs a speak and spell robot to say “I want you” as she replies, “I want you too.” There’s a neediness (and creepiness) in crafting an object of affection to give you your dose of ego boost, but it can be easily dismissed in this song that lacks any pop structure. All emotion is lost when Robyn chooses to say it instead of sing it. The redeeming quality of this song is the swelling synth line that backs the vocals.

The title track, “Do It Again,” is a prototypical club banger with an unknown subject. The “it” in “Sayit” and “Do It Again” forces the listener to conjure up an image of their favorite word or action and then try to imagine themselves in that situation. The lyrics are a little vague and simplistic, but that’s what you get with an electronic background. We can assume that the song is about Röyksopp & Robyn’s collaboration, and to an extent it is.

“Every Little Thing” is a moody down-tempo song about wanting recognition for doing “every little thing” from the protagonist’s lover. It undulates like a wave in a calm sea moving gracefully through the waters as pure pop goodness. Robyn sings, “been alone in here forever / waiting in the dark / if you only knew me better / open up your heart.”

This Röyksopp & Robyn collaboration sounds like a perfectly crafted pop EP, and it is, but it leaves more to be desired from three heavyweights in EDM and pop music. This was a perfect way for Röyksopp & Robyn to break out of their bubbles and embrace the experimental nature of today’s EDM culture. Robyn belts out and restrains herself when she needs to, and Röyksopp provides the clean-cut dance beats for a good time, but it’s simply more of the same.