Adriane Pontecorvo: Filmed on the shores of Ghana, “Water” serves as an epilogue to Sudan Archives’ outstanding debut EP. Her voice and strings mesmerize, as always, and the electronic touches Archives adds are almost ambient, but still structured enough to indicate that Archives is showing us two minutes and 17 seconds of a whole world that she has built herself. Her innovation knows no bounds, and while the slice that is “Water” is barely a glimpse of that, it’s a good one. [9/10]
Tristan Kneschke: “Water” functions as a sort of introduction to the African world Sudan Archives has steeped herself in. The track is a different direction for Archives, a stripped-down, nearly vocal-free version of what she achieved with her breakout self-titled EP. Aside from desaturated imagery, the restrained track features dub influences, though still features her trademark violin playing and snappy, finger-created percussion. It’s also a sketch, clocking in at a skimpy two minutes, but nevertheless achieves what it intends: getting everyone excited for what’s next. [7/10]
John Garratt: Just as something starts to happen, the song is halfway over! Lose the excessive vocal echo, tighten up the arrangement, and she might be on to something. [5/10]
William Nesbitt: What’s here is intriguing, but at barely over two minutes, it seems more like an intro, segue, or outro. Singles are, in a sense, appetizers. With not quite a forkful here, it’s hard to appraise. Still, I like the brief taste I have gotten. [6/10]
SCORE: 6.75