Burial - Claustro/State Forest EP

Claustro / State Forest twists familiar aspects of Burial's output—slippery, R&B-inflected rhythms and impressionistic mood pieces—into subtly augmented shapes. It lacks the cohesion of some of his most successful post-Untrue releases (Rival Dealer, Truant), but once the vinyl crackle stops, we're left adrift, the echoes of Burial's soundworld ringing throughout our own.

The EP’s first track “Claustro,” maintains with Burials signature dance-like breaks — it is more uptempo than the final track, providing a more sanguine sonic sphere. “State Forest” contradicts this, employing his classic downtempo ambiance — a track so fervently-tinged that it acts like a dystopian-packed novel, just as it does an 8-minute track. It’s hard to decipher the number of layers involved in the latter track –  vocals distort, water drips, vinyl crack, lighters open, light switches turn on and off, wind chimes tinkle, knives unsheath, and synths howl – what maintains Burial’s essence is the exact mystery behind its creation.