“Beyond its narrative sharpness, beyond its thematic generosity, the achievement of Natural Brown Prom Queen is, to me, not just in how it will summon you towards movement, but also the many ways it does that summoning, the many eras and sonic landscapes it calls to in order to do that work.” - Author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib on Natural Brown Prom Queen
Sudan Archives has announced her second album Natural Brown Prom Queen, out via Stones Throw on September 9th. Fittingly for a record named for a homecoming event, Natural Brown Prom Queen is all about home – both Sudan’s adopted hometown of L.A. and Cincinnati, where she was raised. The album takes in themes of race, womanhood, and the fiercely loyal, loving relationships at the heart of Sudan's life with her family, friends, and partner. Over 18 tracks, Sudan gets into character as Britt, the girl next door from Cincinnati who drives around the city with the top down and shows up to high-school prom in a pink furry bikini with her thong hanging out her denim skirt.
From first listen, it’s immediately apparent that Natural Brown Prom Queen is Sudan’s most ambitious work to date, its sounds ranging from the disco-influenced R&B of “Home Maker” (named Best New Track by Pitchfork), to Afrocentric anthem “Selfish Soul” (named a Song You Need by The Fader), hip-hop banger “OMG Britt,” the wild ride of “NBPQ (Topless)” and ballad “Homesick (Gorgeous & Arrogant).” Sudan is unafraid to be vulnerable, tender and open about her insecurities. But the record is also about finding pleasure – after all, this is the artist who played violin upside-down on a pole in a music video. On Natural Brown Prom Queen, Sudan Archives invites you to join in and embrace that shared joy – and the response to advance singles “Home Maker,” “Selfish Soul,” and “NBPQ (Topless)” (including accolades from the New York Times, The Fader, FLOOD Magazine, Pitchfork, Stereogum, BET, Uproxx, NYLON, and more) demonstrates that people are ready for it.
Sudan is performing at festivals this summer in the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe. Following the album’s release she will embark on the Homecoming Tour, her first headline run since the tour for her 2019 album Athena. Tickets are on sale now - full dates below.
Preorder Natural Brown Prom Queen on 2LP vinyl: https://sthrow.com/sudanarchives
Natural Brown Prom Queen track list
1. Home Maker 2. NBPQ (Topless) 3. Is This Real? (Can You Hear Yourself?) 4. Ciara 5. Selfish Soul 6. Loyal (EDD) 7. OMG BRITT 8. ChevyS10 9. Copycat (Broken Notions) 10. It's Already Done 11. FLUE 12. TDLY (Homegrown Land) 13. Do Your Thing (Refreshing Springs) 14. Freakalizer 15. Homesick (Gorgeous & Arrogant) 16. Milk Me 17. Yellow Brick Road 18. #513
SUDAN ARCHIVES ON TOUR
North America - Summer Dates Jul 8 - Montreal, QC - Montréal Jazz Festival Jul 9-10 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival Jul 24 - Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party Jul 29 - Denver, CO - The Underground Music Showcase Jul 30 - Omaha, NE - Maha Festival
UK & Europe - Summer Dates Aug 19-21 - Hamburg, DE - MS Dockville Festival Aug 23 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall Aug 25 - London, UK - All Points East Aug 26 - Stockholm, SE - Popaganda Festival Aug 26-28 - Darmstadt, DE - Golden Leaves Festival Aug 28 - Edinburgh, UK - Connect Festival Aug 30 - Brighton, UK - Patterns Sep 1-4 - Salisbury, UK - End of the Road Festival Sep 3 - Bristol, UK - FORWARDS Festival
Homecoming Tour: North America Sept 24 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern Sept 25 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Music Club Sept 26 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow’s Sept 27 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Sep 29 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Sept 30 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Oct 1 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Oct 4 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Oct 5 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall Oct 7 - Toronto, ON - Axis Oct 8 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Oct 10 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair Oct 11 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live Oct 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere (The Hall) Oct 14 - Washington, DC - Black Cat Oct 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Sound Series Block Party Oct 17 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle Oct 18 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West Oct 19 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East Oct 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Homecoming Tour: Europe 4 Nov - Milan, Italy - Circolo Magnolia 5 Nov - Zurich, Switzerland - Moods 6 Nov - Munich, Germany - Ampere 8 Nov - Vienna, Austria - Grelle Forelle 9 Nov - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum Music Bar 10 Nov - Warsaw, Poland - Hybrydy 12 Nov - Copenhagen, Denmark - Hotel Cecil 13 Nov - Berlin, Germany - Metropol 15 Nov - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Noord 17 Nov - Brussels, Belgium - Grand Salon 18 Nov - Paris, France - Pitchfork Music Festival 21 Nov - Dublin, Ireland - Whelan’s 24 Nov - Manchester, UK - Band on the Wall 25 Nov - Barcelona, Spain - La 2 de Apolo
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