Last year, elusive U.K. spirit-channeler Burial released a collaborative EP with The Bug as Flame 1. Now, they return with a follow-up under the name Flame 2. Like Fog / Shrine, the new Dive / Rain EP is just two tracks long. “Dive” begins as a typically ambient, rainy tableau before lapsing into biting drones and stuttering percussion. “Rain” is similarly menacing, though the reggaeton- and dub-inflected beat is more palpable, and the sonics more grindingly intense. It’s a change of pace for the production duo, but a welcome one. Dive / Rain is out now, with physical editions available via The Bug’s Pressure label.
Earlier this year, Burial released the excellent Claustro / State Forest as a 12″ on Hyperdub. Though he hasn’t released an album since 2007’s millenium-defining Untrue, he’s been putting out a steady stream of short EPs and singles over the past 13 years. Recent offerings include “Rodent,” “Subtemple / Beachfires,” and “Young Death / Nightmarket.” Burial’s 2013 project Come Down To Us stands as one of the decade’s very best collections of electronic music. As for The Bug (Kevin Martin), he teamed up with vocalist Roger Robinson for another stellar release as King Midas Sound this past February.
Stream Burial and The Bug’s new Dive / Rain EP below.
