D∆WN’s sultry ‘Infrared’ EP is worth obsessing over

Dawn Richard’s grind is endless.

The experimental singer-songwriter, who now goes by D∆WN, has spent the last few years feverishly delivering her iconoclastic spin on R&B that has made the former Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money member an exciting talent to track.

And her latest release, “Infrared,” continues her knack for delivering lush, shape-shifting work.

The four-track EP, released unexpectedly Friday, serves as a warm-up as the singer preps “RED•emp•tion,” the final installment of her masterful “Heart” trilogy (2015’s “Blackheart” was one of the year’s most critically acclaimed releases).

A year ago, D∆WN teamed up with genre-bending L.A.-based label Fade to Mind and label co-founder Kingdom in the studio, and “Infrared” was born out of those sessions.

The union of Kingdom’s spacey productions paired with D∆WN’s emotional lyrics and elastic vocals resulted in a dark, sensual trip that dives between erotic and heart-wrenching.

“Just gotta be honest / Wanna be next to you / Right next to you / I hate you / Hate you unless I’m touching you / Then I love you / Then I want you,” she sings on “Honest,” a previously released stunner that opens the EP.

“From first meet, I knew D∆WN and I could create some great thing together,” Kingdom told FADER. “She instantly gravitated towards these four productions. … Working with the Fade to Mind team, it seemed like she felt safe bringing out her more vulnerable emotional side, with the productions creating space for that as well.”

“Infrared” is streaming on Fade to Mind’s Soundcloud and available for purchase on iTunes.

For good measure, watch her slay YouTube’s first Live 360-degree performance -- it’s a trippy, mind-boggling watch, but so is just about everything this woman has done lately.

gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com

Twitter: @gerrickkennedy