Röyksopp – “Never Ever” feat. Susanne Sundfør (Singles Going Steady)

Chris Ingalls: This shiny, gleaming collaboration with Susanne Sundfor is a pure pop confection, and a damn catchy one at that. Diving deep into a retro dance sound, the production is thick with layers of keyboards, slippery synth bass lines and an infectious beat that all but guarantees a club smash. It’s like day-glo ABBA in a shopping mall in the ’80s. [7/10]

Adriane Pontecorvo: If Dance Dance Revolution is anything like it was a decade and a half ago, “Never Ever” is a shoo-in for the next edition. Upbeat Eurodance at its simplest and most neon-lit, daytime-friendly enough to dance to in your car on the way to work until you’re past the point of everyone staring, but also a decent filler cut for the club. It’s lighter, friendlier fare than most Röyksopp, easy to like and easy to move on from once it’s over. [6/10]

Scott Zuppardo: Best known for the super cool spa song in the Geico commercial to mainstream America, “You Remind Me”, the electronica team is tripled with the powerful pipes of Susanne Sundfor for this number. Infectious, uplifting, and groovy, a throwback to early house/first wave soundscapes. Keys, keys, and more keys, the boys still keeping it funky cool, this time perhaps a bit more in the vein of their Daft Punk cohorts. [7/10]

Andrew Paschal: Röyksopp attempt to bring us a banger with this one, and at times they nearly succeed, but they seem to forget that less is more, and that overstimulation and hyperactivity are not guaranteed to make people dance and enjoy themselves. Their synths sound almost like the aural equivalent of having a bright light shined directly into your dilated pupil. Nonetheless, Susanne Sundfør is a stunning vocalist, and her melodies add weight to the song, particularly during the verses, which are fairly strong. The chorus is really where everything falls apart and becomes overbearing. [5/10]

Steve Horowitz: Music for the physically challenged because the groove is so big here anybody can dance to it, the more spastic the better. The repetition works to get one started, but a little more drama would help here. Maybe is Susanne would squeal or howl. But that’s not the point. Constancy is invoked. Never going to live without you. Never ever. Ho hum. [7/10]

Paul Carr: This generic club banger is unashamedly punching for the upper reaches of the charts. The beautifully textured ambient stand outs of ubiquitous album Melody A.M. have been shaken up and fed too much sugar. Royksopp’s shift from chillout trailblazers to all out pop tunesmiths is complete. Sadly, all we are left with is this faux disco rubbish that sounds like a poor imitation of a Daft Punk song. [3/10]

Michael Pementel: I was caught by surprise how strong this track comes off. It really doesn’t hold back from the very beginning, and for that I must applaud it for being bold in that sense. Instrumentally it almost brings me back to that of Daft Punk. While vocally there is not much profound, the vocals add to the flow which is a constant pounding and vibrating electronic dance floor jam. [7/10]

SCORE: 6.00