Liverpool-born, Glasgow-based electronic artist KAVARI announces PLAGUE MUSIC, her debut EP for XL Recordings, released on Friday 6 February 2026 via the label’s iconic House Bag series. Having earned early and enduring support from Aphex Twin, Ethel Cain, Ninajirachi, Flume, and Yeule, PLAGUE MUSIC marks KAVARI’s most focused and uncompromising body of work to date; a release that sharpens her sonic signature, deepens her world building, and signals her arrival on XL with clarity and intent.
The announcement comes alongside the release of lead single ‘IRON VEINS’, accompanied by a video directed by long-time collaborator Game Nova. Watch it here. Named after the cult documentary Black Metal Veins, the track was the first demo written for the project and establishes its raw emotional core. The accompanying video reimagines Alice in Wonderland through a darker, psychologically twisted lens, transforming familiar fairytale imagery into something visceral and unflinchingly intense.
Written over the course of a year, PLAGUE MUSIC was conceived while KAVARI was on tour and crafted entirely in her Glasgow home. The four-track EP evolved through repeated revisions, each iteration stripping back and rebuilding the sound to sharpen its focus and intent. Building on the foundations of her 2022 EP Suture – which earned widespread attention and was notably played by Aphex Twin on tour – PLAGUE MUSIC pushes further into darker, more uncompromising territory.
Drawing from drum & bass, dubstep, and noise, the EP imagines a world in decay, reflecting a sense of global instability and emotional unease. KAVARI deliberately sidesteps EDM conventions, emphasising the genre’s intensity and impact while stripping away any sense of escapist lightness. Across the four tracks, sound design becomes a narrative tool: traces of human presence – breath, movement, and spatial textures – collide with abrasive electronic elements that blur the line between rhythm and experimental. ‘PULSE’ incorporates a warped sample from Salad Fingers, while ‘SERPENT CHAMBER’ features snake recordings woven into its textures. These details give the EP a tangible, bodily presence, grounding its atmosphere in both the mind and the dance floor.
With PLAGUE MUSIC, KAVARI announces herself as a bold, visionary force in electronic music, pushing the boundaries of genre while creating work that is as emotionally gripping as it is physically powerful.
Stream / download ‘IRON VEINS’: here.
Pre-save PLAGUE MUSIC here.
