8/10

Some music lands with an almighty bang! Some pulses. And then there’s 'man rm -ir', the latest offering from electronic pop provocateur Olivia Brown, which disassembles and rebuilds from the inside out. This three-track EP plays like a corrupted hard drive of memory, looping through pain, clarity, and release with a sound that feels as fragile as it is ferocious.

Opening with '44 w vin, Brown sets the tone in grayscale, delivering a bruised confessional where fractured textures mimic the ache of looking back. Her voice floats like it’s trying to stay above water, surrounded by broken synth lines and production that feels simultaneously claustrophobic and cosmic.

'anguish' follows, and as the title suggests, it doesn’t offer comfort so much as confrontation. But it’s here that Brown’s collaboration with producers iyrliaes and roxy phantom reveals its strength. Exploring the anatomy of aftermath rather than dwelling in sadness.

By the time we arrive at 'window8.6', there’s a light cracking through the static. It’s still built on glitch and unease, but it shimmers with defiance. Brown’s voice rises above the digital debris, tracing a shape of hope without erasing what came before.

Fans of FKA twigs, Arca, or early Imogen Heap will find kinship here, as Olivia invites us into the breakdown, then dares you to find peace in the code. With 'man rm -ir', she maps emotional wreckage and turns it into electricity. It’s a short listen with a long echo, and a signal that Brown is building something unforgettable from the bits and pieces of everything she’s survived.