On January 1 2024, publisher XL Recordings posted two short teasers to Instagram and Twitter. The videos feature different clips from what we can only assume is upcoming music from William Bevan, also known as Burial. The 44-year-old producer is known for his melancholic soundscapes and gritty 2-step productions. Burial’s bleak, but often upbeat, work perfectly captures the reality of living in the UK. His self-titled debut album, released in 2006, is considered pivotal in the formation of the UK dubstep scene, elevating his work to legendary status.
— XL RECORDINGS (@XLRECORDINGS) January 1, 2024
Burial’s most recent release, Infirmary/Unknown Summer was in collaboration with Steve Goodman, also known as Kode9. The 2023 EP takes a more ambient approach, featuring spoken word sections, laid-back beats, and pitch-shifted vocals. In comparison, the new work teased by XL Recordings is aggressive, noisy, and raw. The clips feature distinctly different sounds from the ones produced with Kode9. This tonal shift may explain the change in label, a step away from the relaxed 2023 EP. Although the South London producer is currently signed to Hyperdub Records, owned by Kode9, Burial has worked with XL in the past.
In 2020, Burial teamed up with XL, Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, and Thom Yorke on two tracks titled ‘Her Revolution’ and ‘His Rope’. Since XL Recordings hosts a wide range of electronic producers, it is not out of the question that we may be getting another collaboration from Burial and another XL signed artist. Some of the major producers currently signed to XL Recordings are Overmono, a Welsh duo made up of Ed and Tom Russell, and Peggy Gou, a South Korean DJ and producer whose real name is Kim Min-ji. A potential collaboration between Overmono and Burial may seem more likely than some would think, with the glitchy aesthetic of both teaser videos matching that of the Overmono brand.
We can speculate all day but all we currently know is that Burial is working on something new with XL Recordings.
