Having just released his third full-length LP, Good Luck and Do Your Best, this past May via City Slang, Gold Panda (a.k.a Derwin Schlecker) has strayed from his shining and untroubled sound with an unexpected, glum, but all-around-beautiful EP, titled Kingdom.

The release is inspired both by his home country’s recent debacle regarding it’s EU referendum and a tale of hardship that his Afgan neighbor shared with Schlecker.

“It was made after talking to a neighbour who moved his family from Afghanistan to the UK,” he explains. “He ordered a phone off Amazon so he could call home, but the delivery driver signed for it and kept it. I thought this was a pretty shitty welcome. I made a couple of less happy songs that are very very loosely based around that and my Brexit fears, which were sadly confirmed.”

The EP is a stark contrast to his warm and colorful LP, which was inspired by a trip to Japan with photographer Laura Lewis with the intention of creating a sight and sound documentary. Regardless, Kingdom proves itself to be a moody and stripped-down EP that deserves our attention and has earned our praise.

You can stream Kingdom in full below. You can purchase the EP by going here.