Today, Burial releases his astonishing Rival Dealer EP, after announcing the record’s existence just two weeks ago. The three-track, half-hour work represents a big musical departure for the enigmatic British producer, finding him embracing jagged hardcore-rave sonics and nakedly sentimental melody at the same damn time, all while keeping the windswept, contemplative vibe of his earlier records intact. And it’s also an emotional, deeply felt piece of work in ways that other Burial records haven’t always been. It climaxes, for example, in a speech from the transgendered filmmaker Lana Wachowski about learning to realize that she deserves to be loved. And now he’s taken the extra step of making a rare public statement about the record. He texted it to the BBC DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, and she read it on the air. Here’s what he said:

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.

(via NME)

That’s real talk. Rival Dealer is out today on Hyperdub; stream it here.