Stress surrounds the mind and soul. Banging on the walls. Trying to wiggle it's slimy paws through the barricade. Fools. Don't they know? The magic force field of the Hunny Hideout makes it wholly impenetrable.

Take a journey. To a place of safety. A place of refuge. A place where you can chase your dreams. A place to hide from the terrors of the world. A place to stash your honey.

On a secret planet. In a secret corner of the galaxy, new sounds are emerging. For the 9th installment of The Year of the Dirt, Dirty Merlin brings us a rich, inviting, comforting, and joyous soundscape. Filled brim to brim with cheeky, soulful synthesizers, samples, and melodies, the "Hunny Hideout EP" is a genre bending expedition of bass, UK Garage, deep house, wonky techno, dub, and kindness.

Our EP begins with the synth stacked electro tune 'Simply Cloudy Drifting.' Buoyant melodies propel us upward over any obstacle and drive us forward through the shimmering, incandescent starscape. The warm sounds cloak us like the smile of a dear friend. We close our eyes and let our hair down just as the song makes it's jubilant end and we enter the Hideout.

Tough, precise, driving UK Garage rhythms underpin EP stand out track 'Stay Home.' Accompanied by a round and driving bassline, staccato melodies and a rich nostalgic lead synth, 'Stay Home' sees Dirty Merlin in top form. Sassy, self-assured, wistful, with a twist of longing.

Track 3 sees us welcome a surprise visitor to the Hideaway. Source Flex, the collaborative project of Dirty Merlin and Basico, arrives to provide a the gorgeous centerpiece to our stay. A luxurious, percussion fueled romp through deep bass pulses, luscious pads, and deft vocal chops. Hints of dub, broken beat, M1 organ house, and hypnotic techno all intermingle perfectly to form this soulful delicacy. The safety of serenity. Sweet surrender. Enveloped in her loving arms. Peace beckons you. 'Surrender to God.'

Things escalate just the slightest. Only enough to make it exciting. Swirling synthesizers and propulsive, swinging drums blast our newly sanctified mind out into the cosmos. Truly a delightful, disorienting, and overwhelming trip. 'Bubbob Blasted' shows us that Dirty Merlin is no stranger to experimentation even in this new and refined era. A heady fusion of LA beats, UK Garage, and west-coast psychedelia creates something fully it's own. And explicitly Dirty Merlin's.

For the last song Dirty Merlin sends us away with a parting gift. A strange up-tempo tropicalia brew. Bizarre IDM and pleasing, organic synthesis are not frequent companions. 'Fractalized Squirrel Shit' is a hugely valuable commodity in many parts of the galaxy. Horded as a prize and exchanged and passed down through generations. When you gaze upon it, you will always remember the way back. To the Hunny Hideout.