Released on April 21, 2022, the sixth chapter of the Profound Mysteries project by Röyksopp is a multimedia installment — like its predecessors — that features a song, a short film, an artefact and a visualizer. A trio of collaborators joined forces with Röyksopp to accomplish the latest release, all of whom add to the diverse layers of this project. Since January 2022, Röyksopp has released at least one new installment to this project per month.
Watch the visualizer here:
The song, “If You Want Me,” features the art pop and electronica singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør. She has traversed genres throughout her time as an artist with roots in folk music, a style she returned to in her latest album Music for People in Trouble. In her collaboration with Röyksopp, she adds an ethereal mood to the track that draws from her earlier work and complements Röyksopp’s latest project in tone. Like other Profound Mysteries songs, it is very introspective and thought-provoking. Sundfør sings about her weariness in life: “All the things that might have been/There were signs I should have seen/Oh, these thoughts will weigh me down/’Til I’m broken.”
She describes her solace as someone else, an unknown “you” who she isn’t certain will remain by her side: “Draw the line out in the sand/If you want me, here I am.”
The music video for “If You Want Me” melds the song with another creation for Profound Mysteries, Jonathan Zawada’s artefact and visualizer. Zawada has worked with Röyksopp on all of the installments so far, creating engaging additions to the project that are at once unattainably futuristic and yet familiar, inspiring a curiosity that is soothed by the videos giving a close, intense look at each of his designs. The previous release, “Breathe,” included an artefact and visualizer that was vaguely reminiscent of an insect, or at the very least something natural. The latest creation for “If You Want Me” is similarly insect-like, though it is perhaps more abstract. One could also liken the predominantly red piece to an organ or a fruit or vegetable. The visualizer offers audiences an almost microscopic view of the piece, highlighting every minor detail. The close-ups offer audiences a chance to see somewhat metallic features, which inspires thought on the comparison between natural and artificial creations.
Finally, the short film released as a part of the sixth installment is called Mycelium. The Martin Werner-directed short film follows an older woman in a forest who experiences something fantastical that draws out an emotional response. It shows captivating, calming shots of a forest throughout the video. It ends with a shot of a person floating in air, only their feet in sight, which brings a smile to the woman’s face.
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