From learning violin by ear in her childhood church, to experimenting with loop pedals as an adolescent, to discovering and incorporating ethnomusicology into her compositions, it’s been quite the journey for Brittney “Sudan” Parks A.K.A. Sudan Archives. Equally exotic and eloquent, organic and electronic, Sudan Archives’ combination of modern R&B, ’90s G-funk, and traditional North African styles has captivated listeners since she signed to Stones Throw and put out her eponymous debut in 2017.
And after just two years, Parks’ maturity, vulnerability, and confidence are all hitting a high note on her upcoming debut full-length, Athena, out November 1st. It’s fourteen divine songs imbued with exactly the wisdom and handicraft you’d expect from the title, so find your personal temple and devote to Athena with its lead single, “Confessions”!
–Jack Anderson
