KAVARI's latest EP, "PLAGUE MUSIC," released on XL Recordings, represents a culmination of her ten-year journey in electronic music. The Glasgow-based artist, known for her innovative sound design, expertly crafts a sonic landscape where aggressive textures meet captivating rhythms. This release cements her reputation as a formidable force in the experimental club scene, pushing the boundaries of what electronic music can achieve.
KAVARI's Sonic Journey: From Field Recordings to Club Anthems
In a groundbreaking move for electronic music, Scottish artist KAVARI has unleashed her highly anticipated debut EP, "PLAGUE MUSIC," through XL Recordings, with its official release in 2026. This four-track collection, a review of which was published on February 6, 2026, showcases a refined distillation of her unique musical vision. KAVARI, whose previous work like the 2025 EP "Only Pleasure in Flame" featured incendiary field recordings, now masterfully sculpts redlining rhythms from charred bass, demonstrating a remarkable evolution in her craft. This latest offering positions her among renowned Scottish electronic innovators such as Rustie, SOPHIE, Hudson Mohawke, and Proc Fiskal. KAVARI's influence is already evident, with hundreds of enthusiasts acquiring her 2021 sample pack, a testament to her growing impact. Her breakthrough year in 2023 saw her gain recognition from electronic music pioneers like Aphex Twin, who championed her powerful tracks, including "Attachment Style (VIP)." Before this wider acclaim, KAVARI was a beloved figure among DJs, meticulously dissecting pop music to reassemble its components into innovative club tools, reminiscent of the GHE20G0TH1K and Fade to Mind movements. Her extensive "Lost Cuts" edit packs on Bandcamp, featuring lengthy and creatively titled tracks like "KAVARI, Skrillex, Disclosure, Flume, Knife Party, Avicii, Foreign Beggars, Aphex Twin - Someone Loved It, Kyoto, You & Me, Internet Friends, Cinema, Levels, Scatta, Avril 14th (KAVARI Attention Deficit Mix)," highlight her prolific output and distinctive approach. KAVARI's genius lies not merely in creating loud sounds, but in transforming noise into intricate symphonies of texture. Her signature style is built upon the skillful application of hard clipping and other distortion techniques, saturating samples to forge raw sonic material which she then meticulously refines. Tracks like "PULSE" exemplify this, with sub-bass lines that possess a distinct crunch, achieved through the precise truncation of sound waves louder than a certain threshold. This results in an asphyxiated buzzing that masterfully adorns synths, kicks, and snares. "IRON VEINS" offers a similar experience, where the natural crispiness of a time-stretched breakbeat is augmented by the crackle of its truncated waveform, delivering a visceral auditory sensation. While "PLAGUE MUSIC" expertly balances pleasure and discomfort, as KAVARI herself notes, it channels the "happiness, peace and love" of EDM while acknowledging the darker undercurrents. The EP features guttural growls and apneic whispers, rather than conventional ad-libs, evoking intrusive thoughts that might arise during a night out, with tracks like "SERPENT CHAMBER" creating a sense of unease through an ASMR-like whisper: "I want you to become aware of the darkness behind your eyes." Even amidst the intense soundscapes reminiscent of a Rusko drop, a pervasive anxiety lingers in the static hiss at the track's conclusion. Beyond her club-focused productions, KAVARI has also demonstrated a remarkable ability to conjure subtler atmospheres. Her 2022 release, "Lost Cuts [B-side]," presented blissed-out trance edits, and her co-writing credit on yeule's "bloodbunny" showcased her talent for quicksilver glitches. However, the pandemic-like ambiance of "SCYTHE" within "PLAGUE MUSIC" truly distills the ritual horror previously explored in her 2023 mixtape, "Against the Wood, Opposed to Flesh." Here, a thrumming kick drum, field recordings of a street, and sounds of coughing transport the listener to a plague-ridden town. While her earlier mixes often invoked images of vital fluids like "blood" and "breath," "PLAGUE MUSIC" serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present shadow of mortality.
KAVARI's "PLAGUE MUSIC" offers a compelling and immersive listening experience, demonstrating her mastery of experimental electronic music. Her unique ability to fuse aggressive noise with intricate sonic textures creates a soundscape that is both challenging and profoundly engaging. This EP is not merely a collection of tracks; it's a testament to artistic evolution, proving that even in the most intense sonic environments, there is profound beauty and intricate design to be found. Listeners are invited to delve into this visceral world, where the boundaries of sound are continuously redefined.