EP Review: Nia Archives - 'Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall'
Junglist and rising D’n’B star Nia Archives returns with new EP Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall.
New Gen junglist and unparalleled rising star Nia Archives has been the face of the drum’n’bass revival we’ve been witnessing the past few years. With racking up awards for ‘Best Producer’ at NME to being the first ever electronic recipient of the BBC Introducing ‘Artist of the Year’ award, the Leeds trailblazer is here to stay and we couldn’t be more gassed.
Her highly anticipated new EP ‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall,’ is for the folks that are devoted to the afters sesh - floating between the feeling of wanting to keep going until the sunrises to wanting to bang your head against the wall and teleport home as soon as possible. Nia couldn’t have described it any better.
A timeless snapshot into the most exhilarating chapter of her life, on the EP Nia shares six jungle tracks all adhering to different moods to soundtrack her story. Exploring topics including love and loss, rejection, estrangement - it talks about growing up as a person and reaching new levels of maturity.
Already a hit, the EP kicks off with ‘Baiana,’ evidently influenced by soundsystem culture and carnival, the hectic banger is a Brazilian carnival party all at once. She’s also inspired by artists and icons such as Grace Jones, Erykah Badu, Angela Davies, Lauryn Hill and more - women who in one way or the other paved the way for generations of black women and musicians. Nia holds a special place representing her dual-heritage roots and those efforts can evidently be seen in the music she puts out.
The next two tracks on the EP - ‘That’s Tha Way Life Goes’ offers a window into Nia’s vocal ability as she ponders unrequited love meanwhile ‘Conveniency’ transmits the hurt of being someone’s “option number three” with an acoustic guitar and Nia’s own bruised vocal making itself known.
‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall ', a production heavy and atmospheric single, speaks of her fondness for leaving little clues about herself and story in her music, sampling her own friends chatting in the single and her infectious laugh fading out, it’s the perfect end to the listener’s journey.
Words by Vee Pandey
