Liverpool-born, Glasgow-based electronic producer KAVARI unveils PLAGUE MUSIC, her debut EP for XL Recordings. Released through the label’s legendary House Bag series, PLAGUE MUSIC represents KAVARI‘s most concentrated and unrelenting work yet; a statement that refines her distinctive sound, expands her creative universe, and establishes her presence on XL with purpose and precision.
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 garnered significant acclaim and received notable airplay from Aphex Twin during his performances – PLAGUE MUSIC ventures deeper into darker, more confrontational sonic landscapes.
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. Lead single ‘IRON VEINS’ was the first demo written for the project, establishing the project’s raw emotional core, and came alongside a video directed by long-time collaborator Game Nova. ‘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 dancefloor.
KAVARI – SERPENT CHAMBER
Having earned early and enduring support from Aphex Twin, Ethel Cain, Ninajirachi, Flume, and Yeule, PLAGUE MUSIC positions KAVARI 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.
Praise for KAVARI
“KAVARI’s instincts remain the same: push harder, strip things back, make it stranger… If that all sounds chaotic, well, that’s kind of the point. The aim is to unsettle, not just through brute force, but through the unexpected.” – Resident Advisor
“a pop-adjacent instinct colliding with a love of discomfort, abrasion and noise. Her work twists familiar forms until they snarl—music that gestures toward the mainstream while refusing its rules entirely.” – Resident Advisor
‘it’s an astonishing feast of break-neck electronics. Packed with spine-shattering twists and turns” – CLASH Magazine
“Digging that…great textured breaks…it is what the plague sounds like” – The Needle Drop
KAVARI
PLAGUE MUSIC
XL Recordings
LISTEN TO PLAGUE MUSIC NOW HERE
Tracklist:
- PULSE
- IRON VEINS
- SERPENT CHAMBER
- SCYTHE
ABOUT KAVARI
INSTAGRAM | X | BANDCAMP | SOUNDCLOUD
KAVARI is a Liverpool born electronic music artist and DJ based in Glasgow, known for her transgressive art and experimental approach to sound and performance. Raised and emerging from the Scottish Highlands, she began performing in her late teens, creating a distinct, high-intensity style that blends her influences of industrial, ambient, club, EDM, and noise music.
A leading figure in the UK underground electronic music scene, KAVARI draws from the legacy of British experimental sound while pushing it into new territory. Her work focuses on distortion, contrast, and structural disruption—challenging conventions in both underground and commercial music spaces. Bringing the fringe to the mainstream and the mainstream to the fringe.
Her innovative productions and live performances have earned international recognition, including praise from IDM pioneer Aphex Twin, who called her music “some of the most brilliant, most interesting kicking electronic music” in recent years. Along with her music being highlighted by publications including DJ Mag, Mixmag, Gay Times, and Boiler Room.
Recognised globally and central to the evolution of the UK and Scottish underground scenes, KAVARI continues to redefine the boundaries of British club culture, experimental music, and DJ performance.
