If you know anything about the UK’s electronic music scene from the past five years, you’ve heard of Burial. William Bevan, aka Burial, is the producer in the scene, the man that spearheaded the genre known as dubstep, with a sound that doesn’t sound at all similar to what people think of today when they think of dubstep. He’s beyond pointless drops. Above them. The artwork for his 2007 album Untrue, a landmark piece in the future garage music scene—which it somehow simultaneously defines and predates—gives you a good impression of how his music works. A sort of monochrome sketch of a man, with his eyes closed, sits with a cup of coffee in front of him. Grey is often associated with sadness, but black-and-white images and films—when they’re of a high quality, of course—are considered high art, beautiful. Further, Burial’s music creates an atmosphere, and a story—like the atmosphere and story in the cover art—which finds the grey area between this darkness, this coldness that he evokes with hard-hitting yet danceable drum beats, and the beauty which he juxtaposes with female vocals.

Kindred is no different. Burial has created his own immediately-recognizable style, a quality shared by many other great artists, which he revives here and continues to perfect. The title track mixes in an entrancing drum beat with female vocals, the refrain of “Baby, you…” casting a beautiful yet miserable mood over the whole piece. The song alternates between being carried by the drum beat and dropping it for several true ambient sections, with a good part of the track teasing the listener, who is just begging for the drum beat to kick back in.

The next track, “Loner”, is the baby of the EP at seven-and-a-half minutes. It moves into the 2-step direction which Burial loves to play with, and contains some obvious techno influences. Not your older sister’s ecstasy-ridden techno, though, but more of the minimal techno sound that’s being played with more in the electronic scene. Part of this track, and the previous track, is broken up by a sound reminiscent of a record player. It’s almost as if Burial wants to remind you that he’s the one creating this world for you, before thrusting you right back into it, similar to the way many directors won’t quite go the 100% realism route and retain some of the theater in film. Just like in film, and awkward ending can ruin the entire piece. Burial is reknowned for his codas; the end of “Loner” isn’t done justice by mere words, and leads perfectly into the final track.

“Ashtray Wasp” continues with the themes of Kindred and redirects the listener to outer space. All of the previous elements are here, though the second half of the track adds in some noise elements. Yet the track still creates its own unique world. The drum beat is excellent and enthralling, the vocals work. Everything works.

My only gripe is that I have to continue to wait for a new full-length album from William Bevan. Instead, I’m saddled with one of the greatest EPs I’ve ever heard. It’s much harder to write a positive review than a negative one. Thank you, Burial, for making this review difficult.

Another stunning release from Burial. I believe every record he makes is done so with the intention that people listen to it on the night bus through London, and I fee sorry for everyone who's never had the chance to hear it properly.

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