Rival Dealer

Rival Dealer is the seventh extended play by British electronic music producer Burial. It was released digitally by Hyperdub on 11 December 2013, with a physical release following five days later. Background On 2 December 2013, a Cargo Records distribution email revealed that record label Hyperdub would release a three-track EP of Burial material on 16 December in vinyl and CD formats, designated with the catalogue number HDB080. His first release since Truant / Rough Sleeper the year prior, it was also revealed to have a 28-minute running time. On 11 December, Hyperdub made the EP available to purchase digitally through their website and uploaded its three tracks—"Rival Dealer", "Hiders" and "Come Down to Us"—to YouTube. Themes Unlike previous Burial releases, Rival Dealer maintains a significant theme throughout its three tracks. Fact critic Tom Lea called the EP a story about "love, confusion and relationships", citing the track "Come Down to Us" as a primary example. In a rare public message to BBC Radio 6 Music, Burial himself stated, "I put my heart into the new EP, I hope someone likes it. I wanted the tunes to be anti-bullying tunes that could maybe help someone to believe in themselves, to not be afraid, and to not give up, and to know that someone out there cares and is looking out for them. So it's like an angel's spell to protect them against the unkind people, the dark times, and the self-doubts." All three tracks contain samples from an interview with NASA scientist Melissa Dawson Higgins. "Come Down to Us" utilizes a sample from a speech by filmmaker Lana Wachowski at the 2012 Human Rights Campaign gala.