sudan archives

The prom queen, characterized by unkempt makeup and a tattered dress while emanating a histrionic vibe, is a pop culture symbol with extensive lineage. Courtney Love used the aesthetic for the cover of Hole’s 1994 alternative classic album Live Through This. In 2021, pop behemoth Olivia Rodrigo deployed it for Sour Prom, her concert film. Most recently, Brittney Parks, who uses the moniker Sudan Archives to record shapeshifting indie-pop, put her own spin on the well-worn motif with Natural Brown Prom Queen. On her second full-length record, Parks discards the typically disheveled prom-queen aesthetic to present imaginative idealism. Tears of makeup aren’t streaming down her face. Instead, Parks joyously assumes the prom-queen title as the person she is today. “Basically, when I go on tour...