When Sudan Archives dropped "DEAD" last month, it was clear a new album was afoot. Now we know for sure: The BPM, the follow-up to 2022's Natural Brown Prom Queen, will be out in October, and "DEAD" is its opening track. Brittany Parks has two more songs from the album to share with us today.
The BPM is so named because of its focus on dance music. Parks' mother is from Michigan, her father from Illinois; she worked on parts of the album in Chicago and Detroit, channeling the Midwest cities' history of house and techno. The LA-based Cincinnati native also invented a new persona for this project: Gadget Girl, about which she explains, "I was never the girl in a band in high school – I could only express myself for the first time when I got my first iPad and started making beats on it, and when I got my first electric violin. I’m all gadget girled out now, but I’ve never felt so free as a human."
Of the two new tracks out today, "MY TYPE" is apparently the focus. It's a rap track with a boisterous disco beat, and it arrives with a music video by Ben Dickey and Eric Terhune that has me flashing back to late '90s MTV. Also out today is "YEA YEA YEA," a different type of rap- and R&B-infused dance track. Pounding and woozy, it makes great use of Parks' orchestral skills. Hear both songs below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "DEAD"
02 "COME AND FIND YOU"
03 "YEA YEA YEA"
04 "TOUCH ME"
05 "A BUG'S LIFE"
06 "THE NATURE OF POWER"
07 "MY TYPE"
08 "SHE'S GOT PAIN"
09 "DAVID & GOLIATH"
10 "A COMPUTER LOVE"
11 "THE BPM"
12 "MS. PAC MAN"
13 "LOS CINCI"
14 "NOIRE"
15 "HEAVEN KNOWS"
TOUR DATES:
08/02 - Idyllwild, CA @ FWB Fest
09/07 - Durham, NC @ Duke University
09/13 - Brooklyn, NY @ Under The K Bridge w/ TV On the Radio
09/26 - Austin, TX @ Levitation
11/07 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Festival
11/27 - Berlin, DE @ Betonhalle
11/29 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
11/30 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique - Orangerie
12/01 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
12/03 - London, UK @ The Roundhouse
12/04 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
12/05 - Leeds, UK @ Stylus
12/06 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU
12/08 - Dublin, IE @ The Academy
The BPM is out Stones Throw. Pre-order it here.
