Young Death

Surprise released at the end of November in 2016, Burial's Young Death / Nightmarket carries the distinction of being Hyperdub's 100th catalog entry. Like the elusive artist's previous EPs, the two tracks here are filled with crackling sounds, pitch-shifted voices, and subdued atmospheres. They play like dream sequences rather than club tracks, and this one is less dance-minded than most Burial releases. "Young Death" features a shimmering electro pulse for its first four minutes, but its ending is slower and trippier, filled with sinister laughing voices and thunder clouds. "Nightmarket" is closer to ambient, only barely flirting with a beat at one point. Its chilly melody ebbs and flows throughout the first half, and it changes into something different during the second. Compared to more dramatic Burial EPs like Kindred and the utterly devastating Rival Dealer (one of the decade's best releases, full stop), this one might seem a bit underwhelming. It may not be as riveting or intense, but it still has the unmistakable Burial sound and it's still unpredictable, so it's still well worth the listener's time. ~ Paul Simpson