THE BPM

This dense, claustrophobic album is discomfitingly of the moment: Sudan’s characters sprint through these songs as though movement is a survival tactic, a way to push forward as the world presses down harder than ever.

As it stands, The BPM allows Parks to showcase what a massive talent for writing and composing she has, removed from any constraints or genre terminology. A daring statement of intellectual and rich dance music that demands attention.

Parks does a remarkable job finding the fun in her introspection in a way that feels organic rather than forced.

It’s an album that’s constantly in motion with each musical idea turned up and tested to the absolute limit. If movement was her mission, then mission accomplished.

‘The BPM’ is Sudan Archives’ bravest album to date. Lyrically, she effortlessly sings about love, loss, redemption, mental health issues and, err, 1980s computer games. It’s refreshing to hear someone this comfortable in their own skin unburden themselves like this.

Virtually every element, whether played or programmed, is in service to Parks' sybaritic visions, and they all stimulate movement free from restraint.

Perhaps it's the vulnerability at the core of THE BPM that really makes what Sudan Archives is doing still feel so fresh. Standing out in the club music scene, it sets a new standard for anyone interested in playing with sound while maintaining an accessible heartbeat.

It could read as overstuffed – and at times, it can feel that way – but the sheer force of performance and skilled production more than carry the album.

While the concept means Parks' violin takes a backseat, it makes for a dizzying, future-facing hybrid of dancefloor sounds. [Dec 2025, p.85]

Throughout the album, both the singer and the music itself are constantly on edge, and yet The BPM pulses with the kind of euphoria that can only come from letting loose on the dance floor.

An infectious collection of tunes.

On The BPM, Sudan Archives takes a snapshot of existence in the liminal space between the present and 10 minutes from now, a place that on its surface seems limitless in its possibilities for pleasure and movement yet is intractably linked to the past. Navigating this space would be a challenge, but Sudan Archives’ singular vision of pop at least makes it impossible to get stuck.

THE BPM is Parks’s riskiest and most rewarding album to date, and proves that the artist can manipulate her tendencies into whichever form she pleases.