Label: HIJINXX/Island Records
Released: 10th March 2023
Jungle is, indeed, massive.
From the first glimmer of the Barbatuques sampling ‘Baianá’, Nia Archives proves that very fact through the entirety of ‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall’, the Bradford-born, Leeds-raised producer’s third project. It’s a mammoth task of both revitalisation and homage that winds you up until you can finally exhale – as ‘Baianá’ fully unrolls, there’s an inescapable demand that you dive into the heavy, blistering journey ahead.
If ‘Baianá’ is the night in full swing, ‘That’s Tha Way Life Goes’ is a more mellow output for the inevitable crash. It’s ruminations on a failed romance are thrown to the wind as she returns to this mantra that that’s just how it is, set to breezy, jazz-leaning beats. Nia’s vocals are on top form, twisting around the tracks with ease. For her first-ever feature, she invites Maverick Sabre to lend his soulful vocals to ‘No Need 2 Be Sorry, Call Me?’, a quietly burning banger that sees the EP continue down a more early morning route than the sheer chaos of its opening track.
‘So Tell Me…’ sees things amp up slightly, returning to its bouncing beginning. It unravels in spiralling thought and yet returns to the steady bassline and breaks that buoy it throughout. There’s a distinct feeling that Nia captures this time around of being equal parts wound up and unwinding, both frenetic and relaxed. ‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall’ is the work of a producer who has well and truly honed her craft. Here, Nia Archives shows her ability to simultaneously make odes to the junglists of the past whilst offering a distinctive, forward-facing touch to the genre. If the rest of the EP finds Nia eyes closed, overthinking on the events of the previous night, the previous week, the previous year of her life, then the final titular track is a jolt back to the real world. The sun has risen, the day is new, and Nia Archives is ready to continue in her voyage as the newly crowned queen of jungle.
