Sundial
Sharp, self-reflective political poetry delivered over warm, live jazz-rap instrumentation and rich gospel vocal arrangements.
Sharp, self-reflective political poetry delivered over warm, live jazz-rap instrumentation and rich gospel vocal arrangements.
Radical self-interrogation
Bright horns and warm gospel harmonies cushion these sharp, quiet verses. You are sitting in a sunlit kitchen while someone points out your hypocrisies, their voice never rising above a conversational murmur. It is a soft, acoustic-led confrontation that feels less like a lecture and more like a mirror held up in the afternoon light.
The vocals lean far further into rap than the rest of the catalogue.
Critics warmly embraced the album, widely praising its sharp, uncompromising songwriting that fearlessly interrogates both broader culture and the artist herself. Reviewers were deeply moved by the record's passionate, urgent mood and its complex themes of community, noting that the intricate listening experience grows even more rewarding over time.
“Noname’s second studio album synthesizes everything that the firebrand rapper excels at”Read review
“Noname isn’t ambivalent at all here — she goes full blast. Sundial is the sound of an artist who hasn’t lost any of her passion for making music — or making trouble.”Read review
“On Sundial, Noname raps like her voice is holding the sky from falling. Love of oneself and one’s community is a struggle front and center on the album”
“Noname’s first album in five years is a cool and masterful interrogation of the culture. She’s taking everyone’s name—including her own”Read review
“Every track excels in a topical focus that will not be spoiled or summarized by the deadline-watching eyes of a critic. They are to be found and grappled with individually, or communally, if that’s your thing”Read review
“On her long-awaited album, the Chicago artist isn’t scared to spread around the culpability for discord, from white society to Beyoncé, Barack Obama – and herself”Read review
“Refusing to take the easy route, ‘Sundial’ can at times be daunting, and the task of following the profound success of her earlier work isn’t an easy one. On repeated listens, however, the project breaks open as a singular work of Black American artistry”Read review
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