Last September New York City‘s glamorous guitar-pop trio SUNFLOWER BEAN dropped a 5-track EP, named SHAKE.
This year they go for another full length. Their 4th, named Mortal Primetime. It’ll land on April 25th. More info here.
Following bubbling lead single Champagne Taste our ears can absorb
a follow-up preview with the moodier amplified 80s flavoured musing NOTHING ROMANTIC.
SB: “Nothing Romantic” is about rejecting the myth of the tortured artist—realizing that
the joys of creativity don’t have to come from the lows of misery. The video mirrors this journey, capturing our lives as touring musicians in between nightmarish performances. From green rooms to lost highways, we travel from town to town, feeling alive only in the escape of our show. There’s tension between the connection and solitude; on stage, we’re together, sharing our music with others but later isolation and the price of our sacrifices creep in.”
“This song came after a period that felt like rock bottom for the band.
It is about feeling beaten down but still driving forward, to keep faith,
to grow and to continue to create on our own terms, our Mortal Primetime.”
The song tastes more as Prosecco rather than pure Champagne.
Effervescent and fresh, but just not luscious enough.
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
29 August 2024
Photo by Yulissa Benitez
NYC’s glamorous psych-pop trio SUNFLOWER BEAN
attracted an army of fans over the past ten years with
3 EPs and 3 albums (so far).
And they will make them happy once again with
a new 5-track EP, titled SHAKE on September 27.
The band already shared the EP’s title track and throw a second
new cut at our ears. It’s called TEACH ME TO THE BAD
Cummings: “The song is about chance meeting with a special person
can change your life forever. It can be exhilarating and frightening to
fall madly for someone you barely know.”
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
25 July 2024
NYC’s glamorous psych-pop trio SUNFLOWER BEAN
attracted an army of fans over the past ten years with
3 EPs and 3 albums (so far).
Just now they spread the news of a new 5-track EP,
titled SHAKE coming our way on September 27.
SB: “SHAKE was inspired by our first years as a DIY band, the spirit that birthed us
and gave us the chance to have this enduring journey together. We wrote, recorded,
engineered, and produced these songs so nothing was filtered through anyone else’s
idea of us. We always felt like rock and roll was a feeling, not a sound. But sometimes
there is no subverting it or explaining it. We’re now offering it exactly as it occurred to
us.”
The title track is a surprising slo-mo wallop.
A striking stunner, less pop more rock.
Sunflower Bean will wake you
up. No doubt about that.
Band: SUNFLOWER BEAN Who: Glamorous indie pop/rock trio
from New York
New album: HEADFUL OF SUGAR
Their 3rd longplayer, out 6 May 2022 – Order info here.
New single: ROLL THE DICE
The 3rd single the trio shares (previous 2 tracks below)
In a statement, Sunflower Bean say the song is about how many adults now
need a side hustle to secure their futures: “Almost everyone we know struggles
with money. The traditional routes towards success and stability in America have
severely narrowed. The only way to get ahead is to take big risks and roll the dice.”
(photo by Turn Up The Volume)
So far, to my ears, SB made two good albums, nothing more nothing less.
So, I’m still waiting for the big one. Let’s see/hear what happens soon.
And while waiting, here’s single number three.
A slo-mo stompin’ stroke (heavier than the
2 previous cuts) with avid duet vocals.
Band: SUNFLOWER BEAN Who: Guitar pop trio out of New York City
Since the release of second album Twentytwo In Blue 3 years ago,
the band disappeared into the night. But, wait, they’re back now with
a new single titled BABY DON’T CRY. A harbinger for a new full length?
We’ll see/hear.
About the new tune: “So many things in our lives are disposable. Content
and news are consumed and discarded leaving us unfulfilled. “Baby Don’t Cry”
is about enjoying the real. The things right in front of us that give us meaning
and how sometimes, even sad songs can give you that warm feeling of hope.”
Baby Don’t Cry is SB by numbers. An easy-going
and sugary mid-tempo pop thrill to hum along.
A swirling fusion of rhapsodic rippers and cool crackerjacks,
that activated my bloodstream and my limbs this past month! Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for September!
‘Under The Spell Of Joy’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles, US)
L.A.’s garage devils surprise with this gospel stunner. Polyphonic choir, booming beats, crazed sax, towering tune, and a mental finale. The title track from their fourth album coming your way this Friday, October 2. Can’t wait!
‘So What’ by MEMES(Glasgow, Scotland)
Post-punk mavericks strike again. This new cut is more infectious than that horrible coronavirus, deeper carving than a Swiss knife, 103 seconds of high-energy swagger.
New EP in November via Fierce Panda.
. ‘The Rise And Fall Of America’ by THE MOODS(England)
It’s this British collective’s towering take on the bombastic American National Anthem with razor-sharp lines and an addictive chant. They rock, roar and rage. Enough is enough! Play this on repeat until the elections in November. Make America, America again. It’s not too late! Vote that orange out!
‘American Dream’ by TOKYO TABOO (England)
‘Dumb Trump’ is the loud and clear message. These high-voltage noiseniks squeeze that orange idiot into pulp in 4 minutes and visualize their disgust with both a hilarious and frightening video clip. About time this buffoon gets kicked out of the White House!
‘Leon The Pig Farmer’ by CABBAGE (England)
These post-punk gunslingers describe their racket as Apocalyptic Sprautrock. Sounds
totally 2020 to my ears. This new amazeballs brain-breaker races like a hot rod on
the run without slowing down for a second. Bang-up stonker!
‘Psychopath’s Monologue’ by THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA (It/Sing)
A soundtrack for an unmade David Lynch movie. Chemical bros beats, Leftfield bangs, industrial uppercuts and a nightmarish spoken-word sermon all over it. Sonic paranoia
for a baffled world in an ongoing virus crisis. Doomsday is just around the corner.
‘Tokyo Music Experience’ by RATS ON RAFTS (The Netherlands)
An electrical punch-sucker driven by hyperkinetic guitars, manic vocals, and a relentless beat sounding like legendary weirdos Devo are back with some fervent firepower. Expect to be totally puzzled after just one spin. You can get satisfaction here, folks!
‘Land Based Antics’ by STRUGGLES WITH SYNTAX (London)
A rage-against-the-machine motherrocker, a smash and clash crossover stormer, a
nasty rap brain-breaker, a brutal thwack challenging you to bang your head against
the wall while pulling your hair out. A volcanic spit and sneer eruption.
‘Moment In The Sun’ by SUNFLOWER BEAN (Brooklyn/NY)
Perfect pop play! Catchy as hell, totally uplifting and mood-boosting. Funky and groovy.
An earworm to listen to in your bath, in your car, at work, in the pub, and in your bed.
‘Truth II’ by BEND SINISTER (Vancouver, British Columbia)
A rambling, rumbling, rollicking and roaring ripsnorter with a scream along on the top of your lungs chorus demanding the truth. C’mon Bully Trump and Boris the Clown, stop
lying 24/7, you twin idiots.
‘7 Seconds’ by PORRIDGE RADIO (Brighton, England)
Earlier this year this amazing Dana Margolin fronted band released their contender-for-best-album-of-the-year tour de force Every Bad, they shine again on this brand new melodic humdinger.
‘Docker Martins’ by ARCO ARENA (Ireland)
A riff-loaded crackerjack that triggers your Saturday nightmare fever moves. Funky as
fuck and sickly sticky from start to finish. A kick-ass hammer sharp as a serrated knife challenging you to fight for your right to be the last man standing. Yeahhh!
‘Serotonin‘ by VIOLENT VICKIE (Long Beach, CA)
Put your Goth outfit, dim the lights, and trip on this pitch-black synthscape with
Vickie wildly yearning for lost love and lust. You’ll get goosebumps when listening
to this petrifying cry out on your headphones. Time to kick your evil demons out
of your bedroom!
‘We Are Chaos’ by MARILYN MANSON (Ohio, US)
Yes, the self-proclaimed ‘God of Fuck’ still walks the planet. No, he didn’t move yet
to his real home in hell. And the title track is a massive sing-along pop (yes, ‘pop’)
anthem celebrating what we became: CHAOS in these surreal virus times.
‘Cotton Fish (A Dream)’ by JAY CRAFTON (Toronto, Canada)
Don’t really know much about this Canadian musician and record producer just that his new (instrumental) single is a spellbinding guitar-driven jam with a relaxing effect on my mindset. Pretty special. Pretty dreamy.
Five new firecrackers to bang-up your favorite 48 hours…
‘Under The Spell Of Joy’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles)
I just love this!! Big choir, booming beats, far-out sax, titanic tune, crazy finale. Surprise, surprise. It’s Death Valley Girls. Yes, the coolest graveyard garage rock band on the planet used to put a nightmarish spell on you, not one of joy. Listen up, you’ll love this too! FUN!
‘Moment In The Sun’ by SUNFLOWER BEAN
The NYC darlings return with a perfect piece of passionate pop. By far the best thing
they ever put on record, to my ears. Funky, sparkling, and sickly sticky. A 24-Karat hit!
‘7 Seconds’ by PORRIDGE RADIO (Brigthon,UK)
Earlier this year this amazing Dana Margolin fronted band released their contender-for-best-album-of-the-year tour de force Every Bad and they shine again on this brand new catchy stunner.
‘Get Famous’ by THE MOUNTAIN GOATS (North Carolina, US)
This steamy horns driven stroke compresses the Mountain Goats’ fervor into
a backhanded benediction, a three-minute pop entreaty to reach for the stars.
Their new album ‘Getting Into Knives‘ arrives 23rd October via Merge Records.
New York threesome SUNFLOWER BEAN launched their second full length, titled TWENTYTWO IN BLUE a couple of weeks ago. Compared to their debut album this swirling successor is a massive leap forward. A rapturous record of high-quality power
pop songwriting. From sickly catchy humdingers (Burn It / Crisis Fest / Human For / Puppet Strings) to 60s pop sensibility ( I Was A Fool / Twentytwo / Oh No, Bye Bye). Spirited, sensual and shiny overall. A 18 Karat gold accomplishment. Here’s ‘Crisis Fest‘, one of my favorite highlights…
Compared to their gig two years ago in Brussels, their show yesterday, in Antwerp, was
an entirely different experience. The trio’s confidence, craft and presence on stage, grew stunningly since 2016. Combined with the new big tunes (also thumbs up for their magical rendition of Neil Young‘s Harvest Moon) these bona fide popsmiths are ready for the major-league. Most remarkable to my ears was frontwoman Julia Cumming‘s powerful singing. Her voice turned into a truly confident, alluring and impressive instrument. It also helps
of course when you’re looking/sounding like a cross between Courtney Love, Stevie Nicks and Nancy Sinatra. Here’s romantic gem ‘I Was A Fool‘ telling so much more than what I
can express in words…
