Ecco2k, the Swedish multidisciplinary artist Zak Arogundade, has released "Sky Burial," a new single produced by his longtime friend and collaborator Whitearmor. The song and its accompanying music video are out now. The single follows "Aldehydes and Ketones" and is presented as its warmer, more euphoric counterpart. Together, the releases open a new chapter in a body of artistic work that unites music, moving images, and an ever-changing view of identity.
The contrast between the two songs is central to the presentation of the release. In the accompanying materials, Gud's production on "Aldehydes and Ketones" is described with words like coldness, shimmer, and industrial scale. In comparison, "Sky Burial" moves toward a pop-oriented euphoria. These are the aesthetic descriptions provided in the presentation material, not an independent critical assessment, but they articulate a clear connection: the second song is conveyed as a response to the first, rather than just another expression of the same mood.
This connection also characterizes the films. The video for "Sky Burial" continues to explore the visual world introduced in "Aldehydes and Ketones," but at the same time brings the main character Echo into a more intimate encounter with the surrounding landscape. Echo dances beside tall grass during a solar eclipse, surrounded by an orange glow. What might initially evoke thoughts of a sunset is, according to the provided description, from industrial halogen lighting.
A World Beyond the Self
The difference between these light sources lends a particular tension to the visual language. The grass, the solar eclipse, and the seemingly sunset-colored atmosphere suggest a scene governed by nature; the industrial lighting introduces something constructed into that picture. Instead of keeping nature and the manufactured world separate, the film places Echo in both. Based on the described visual language, the relationship between human presence, landscape, and technology becomes a central part of the work.
The two videos are also the result of extensive work over time and across geographical boundaries. According to the presentation materials, they were filmed in twelve countries over six years of continuous travel. The lengthy production process places the films within Arogundade's broader work with multiple media, rather than making them simply illustrations of individual songs. The shared protagonist and the interconnected visual worlds provide the releases with a framework that reaches beyond their contrasting musical expressions.
In the presentation material, the singles are stated to be Ecco2k's first new solo releases in five years, following the EP "PXE" from 2021 and the debut album "E" from 2019. A thematic movement between the works is also described: "E" as an introspective portrait of coming of age, "PXE" as an expression of longing to transcend the self, and the latest material as a turn towards the outside world. This is a useful description of the project's intended direction, distinguishing a shift in perspective from a mere change in sound.
Within this framework, Echo's position in the film for "Sky Burial" takes on particular significance. The figure remains at the center, but the scale and character of the surroundings are equally important. The tall grass, solar eclipse, and artificial glow place the protagonist in relation to forces and structures beyond the individual. The visual language supports the outward movement described in the presentation material, without abandoning the recurring figure through which that movement can be illustrated.
Arogundade is also part of the Swedish collective Drain Gang alongside Bladee, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor. The latter's production on "Sky Burial" continues the long-standing collaboration while also contributing to a release presented as distinctly Ecco2k's own. Together with "Aldehydes and Ketones," the single makes contrast a guiding principle: coldness versus warmth, industrial scale versus intimacy, and self-examination versus an encounter with the world beyond the self.
