Ringing in the new year with a surprise, XL Recordings has teased a new release from Burial.
The label shared a 14-second audio clip alongside a cryptic graphic featuring Burial’s signature “cross” symbol. The potential releases have been hailed by fans as a return to the direct, rave-geared sound of Burial’s early productions.
The elusive London native, whose real name is William Bevan, emerged on the electronic music scene in 2005 as the first artist to be signed on Kode9’s Hyperdub label. With his darkly emotive compositions and penchant for anonymity, he has since resonated with audiences worldwide and earned a reputation as of one of the most acclaimed—and enigmatic—musicians of his generation.
Listen to both recordings below.
Burial’s debut self-titled album, which released in 2006, garnered widespread critical acclaim for its innovative take on dubstep and poignant use of vocal samples. Burial’s latest EP, Streetlands, was released in 2022 while last July marked the release of his surprise Infirmary/Unknown Summer EP with Kode9.
No stranger to more eclectic projects, Burial collaborated with Four Tet and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on an XL-produced double-single in 2019, Her Revolution and His Rope.
The short clip has already been making the rounds on social media. BBC Radio 6 broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs called the track “a strong look for 2024” while Oneman noted Burial’s logo in the mystery teaser, commenting, “Burial signed to XL… Wow. This has the potential to be amazing.”
XL has not formerly announced a release date at the time of writing.