PHOTO COURTESY | WIKI COMMONS
Julia Cummings, lead vocalist and bass player for Sunflower Bean.
There is very rarely an album that I can listen to all the way through multiple times in a day and not get tired of it.
“Twentytwo in Blue” by Sunflower Bean has changed that for me.
Admittedly, I find myself being the lazy music consumer, relying more on suggestions than sitting down and exploring the vast void myself. Luckily, my friend suggested this album a few weeks ago and wow.
All of you should be listening to it as well, which pretty much explains why I am reviewing it, God do I belong in this section.
Sunflower Bean is a trio of 22-year-olds who live in the exact same world we live in. “Twentytwo in Blue” is a perfect reflection of being young in this crazy world, which hi, we are all young in this crazy reality TV show we call 2018.
With a feeling of the prom band you never had but deserved, mixed with the inner depression that kicks in when you remember whom our president is, this album is a certified banger.
That isn’t to say you won’t find yourself singing along or rocking your hair, not at all. Julia Cummings, vocalist and bass player, and Nick Kivlen, vocalist and guitar, have lovely voices with amazing ranges.
The intro song, “Burn it” is a screaming good time about the constantly changing world and dealing with the realization of how nothing unchanging will ever bring you continual happiness. If you needed a punk poppy retro sounding song as you left a town behind forever, well here you go.
Let yourself sing about the confusion of being young, able to do so much but seemingly unable to change anything. This is truly a frustrating time.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t songs worthy of cuddling up with. “Only A Moment” feels like a comforting talk with your emotionally intelligent friend, calmly telling you, “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
Which is comforting given the expectations we constantly put on ourselves. Embrace yourself, love yourself and listen to this damn album already.