- A onetime Warp regular returns to the label after an 11-year absence.
- Utopia, Mira Calix's first release for Warp in over a decade, is structured around a short film by the British novelist Adam Thirlwell. In it, a woman sets up a commune in her apartment, but struggles to sustain her idealistic vision as the pressures of the outside world interfere. The EP's lead track, "Rightclick," plays in the background for most of the film, with static-like drums and fizzy textures adding to the discontent and claustrophobia that creeps into the small space.
Listening to the record without the visuals is a different experience. Calix's key releases, 2000's One On One and 2003's Skimskitta, were strongest when they highlighted the glitchiness of her compositions, messing with the size and weight of individual sounds. Though Utopia is built around beats, Calix still manages to apply her cut-up method. The stuttering momentum of "Upper Ups" stands out, its pulses bringing on nausea in the best way.
TracklistA1 Rightclick
A2 Just Go Along
B1 Upper Ups
B2 Bite Me