Album Review: Mortal Primetime by Sunflower Bean

For a while, it looked as though Mortal Primetime might never arrive. After a decade of shapeshifting through New York's guitar music landscape, Sunflower Bean found themselves on uncertain footing, creatively, personally, existentially. That they've returned not just intact but emboldened feels like an act of quiet defiance. This fourth album doesn't try to recapture old glories or retrofit them for the algorithm.

Full Review >>

The trio have garnered tour support slots with the likes of Wolf Alice and The Strokes that has aided in them carving out their distinctive corner of the musical landscape. Spearheading a sound that sits on the philtrum of gritty grunge and infectious indie beats, their latest venture into introspective waters comes in the neatly wrapped package of their fourth studio record Mortal Primetime. Thus far, Sunflower Bean's discography has been comprised of three albums, interweaved with a handful of extended plays.

Full Review >>

Sunflower Bean have never fitted neatly into a box, and their fourth album, 'Mortal Primetime' makes that clearer than ever. Across its ten tracks, the band abandon any fixed notion of genre, weaving together elements of alt-rock, folk, and dreamy, blissful pop with remarkable ease. The album opens with grungy, distorted guitar chords reminiscent of Ramones ('Champagne Taste'), only for 'I Knew Love' to pivot entirely, with lead vocalist Julia Cumming's honeyed cries evoking Joni Mitchell.

Full Review >>