Burial's first non-collaborative release since 2011's Street Halo has come at a time when James Blake, SBTRKT, Mount Kimbie and Jamie XX, to name but a few, are innovator's in the kind of broken dance sound that he paved the way for back in 2006. Burial proves here with the 3 tracks on Kindred that, despite this fruitful time of sensitive male electronic artist's, his releases are still relevant. Understatement. This release has created gushing praise all over the internet. People write essay's about him for gods sake.
All this is of course because the guy really is that good.
First track on the EP, Kindred is the most familiar sounding Burial track, with it's vinyl crackle, clipped melody and hypnotic two-step beat. A dirge of a bass line appears and takes us somewhere a bit darker. You're strapped in and hooked. Over it's 11 minutes, the elements of this haunting opus separate and then put themselves back together almost like pulling apart and replacing the many mechanisms and cogs inside of a watch.
Loner is altogether more danceable, albeit, in a staring into a k-hole kind of way. It's less 2-step, more dark house, with a static gloom and an anguished vocal.
Ashtray Wasp, apart from being the coolest song title since I can remember, is the EP'S mouth-drop moment. Musty house beats, broken diva vocals, a static ambiance running throughout; a story being told. There's a different state of consciousness that runs throughout this EP that is pure Burial. It's difficult to put into words, but it attaches itself to your senses and stirs your soul. The second half of the track breaks away into a sparse high-pitched vocal, a few touches of piano, a crackle , an exit.
