Sudan Archives made a splash last summer when she released her self-titled debut EP on Stones Throw. The Los Angeles-by-way-of-Cincinnati artist grabbed peoples attention by studying a North African style of violin, and then combining it with her love of electronic music and soul. Now she builds upon that style with her second EP, Sink.

If you’re not familiar with her style of music, you might be wondering how this all comes together. It should first be noted that on Sink, you’re not going to hear a lot of classical, bowed violin. Instead, Sudan Archives essentially takes her style from the traditions of Northern and Western Africa, then skips Europe and instead heads straight to modern American experimental music. What this means in practice is that she’s employing just about every other sound from the violin than the one you’re most familiar with, so there are a lot of plucking of the strings, tapping, and other sounds that mix well with her experimental electronic beats. On top of playing and singing, she’s produced the entire EP as well, with only Carlos Nino and Yusef Talwo coming aboard to help with percussion and songwriting, respectively, but only for one song apiece. The rest is all Sudan, and the results are really beautiful and intimate. She’s done an excellent job of producing these experimental R&B songs that split the difference between weird and accessible perfectly. The closest contemporary that comes to mind is Anna Wise, although Sudan isn’t working with as big of a voice. With Sudan’s vocals, I’d say they are probably closer to Georgia Anne Muldrow, where a lot of attention is given pacing, phrasing, and timely use of harmony. As a lyricist, Sudan opens up about life and love, but as with her musical compositions, she’s not spoon-feeding you typical love songs. You have to lean in a little and pay attention and connect to lines and phrases and find the meanings within. It’s a little more work, but its worth it when you find all of these interesting moments across the EP, with a new one revealing itself each time you make your way through it.

Sink is a nice follow up to her first EP, and shows a young artist growing in confidence. She’s got a unique style and voice, and this EP sounds like it was done with a clear vision in mind for what she wanted to accomplish on her sophomore release. I can’t wait to see where she goes from here, because she’s only going to keep getting better from here.