Elusive London musician Burial has released a new two track EP, Comafields and Imaginary Festival, which landed on Bandcamp and streaming services last night with a clear vinyl release to follow on 19 September. The release is the latest in a series of low-key EPs that the artist has put out in recent years, once again arriving via Burial’s longtime home, Hyperdub.
Sonically, the two tracks are a continuation of the sound Burial has been exploring over the past decade. Each stretches over the 10-minute mark, with fragile garage-influenced beats and faded trance synths that dip in and out of the mix. There are hints of new influences thrown into the mix, however – Comafields builds into layered synth drones that feel almost post-rock.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential electronic artists of the past few decades Burial, born William Bevan, first emerged in the mid-'00s with a string of EPs and albums that fused elements of garage, dubstep and ambient music through highly distinctive style of cut-and-paste sound design.
His 2007 album Untrue saw Burial break out of the London underground music scene and into the public consciousness, scoring a nomination for that year’s Mercury Music Prize.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Burial’s story is that Untrue was pieced together using an ancient version of Sony’s Sound Forge running on a “rubbish, dying computer” that intermittently leaked smoke.
In a rare interview with dubstep producer Blackdown, Burial opened up about the reason he favours software that many might consider obsolete. “I’m not a ‘musician,’ no training, nothing. So I was always scared of people who had studios,” he says. “So I thought to myself, fuck it, I’m going to stick to this shitty little computer program, Sound Forge. I don’t know any other programs.”
It’s difficult to guess to what extent Burial might have updated his production setup in the years since. The incidental vocals and layered crackles of these latest tracks clearly make use of the same collage-like approach as those earlier releases, but there’s also a more hi-fi sheen to some of the synth sounds.
Prior to this release, Burial’s last full EP was 2024’s Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above. In the past year, however, Burial has also supplied the soundtrack to Harmony Korine’s AI-powered film Baby Invasion, although that soundtrack hasn’t received a standalone release.
