Sudan Archives - “Confessions”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…Kishi Bashi, Erykah Badu, H.E.R.

Beyond some remixes and collaborations, Sudan Archives’ last proper offering was 2019 full-length Athena, a creative and thoughtful R&B record layered with funk and synth-pop instrumentation. The LA-based artist augments her sultry, dreamy sound with violin melodies, her secret weapon to erupt otherwise chill, pocket soul. That said, lookout for SXSW 2022 to be an opportunity for Sudan Archives to showcase what’s next, as she posted “masters in” in January imaginably in reference to LP number two. Fingers crossed it will be more cinematic R&B in which to get lost, intricate material that’s as sexy and moving as Sudan Archives’ neo-soul influences. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: Sudan Archives turned in a masterful record last year with Athena, the alternative R&B artist’s debut and a sharpened, lush evolution of her experimentally fluid sound. Using violin as a lead instrument, Sudan Archives finely blends organic and electronic modes on Athena, smoothly grooving in down-tempo rhythm. Threads of Afro-pop and chillwave pop also play major parts in Sudan Archive’s music, yielding a dreamy yet tight sound over this beautifully crafted LP.