- 2022-05-08
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ Sunflower Bean Releases New Album “Headful of Sugar”: Streaming
New York-based rock band Sunflower Bean, consisting of Julia Cumming (vocals/bass), Nick Kivlen (vocals/guitar), and Olive Faber (drums), released their third studio album “Headful of Sugar” on May 6, 2022.
It is their first album in four years since the 2018 album “Twentytwo in Blue”.
The album comprises 11-track, produced by Jacob Portrait. The band made the album during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The band explained about the themes of the album as, “fast pleasures, the sugar of life, the joy that comes with letting go of everything you thought mattered.”
They continued, “We wanted to write about the lived experience of late capitalism, how it feels every day, the mundanity of not knowing where every construct is supposed to ultimately lead you.”
The band shared on social media, “writing Headful was a lifeline. it kept us all together, even when we didn't know how or when it would come out. when we wrote it, we were imagining a world we missed with live music, clubs, and festivals. we wanted it to live in the real world, on headphones on buses and trains and played loud in cars. with you! we feel very different than who we've been, yet more ourselves than ever. we hope it surprises you.”- Julia Cumming told UNDER THE RADAR MAGAZINE about the recording process, “we woke up every day for about two years and thought let’s write a song. We just wrote a lot of stuff then demoed it, mainly to see what happens when we get in a room with our producer Jacob [Portrait]. I’d almost call him our coach in the way of staying in the thick of trying to be a songwriter where it can be very confusing and daunting. Especially with a project such as an album. You just want it to be done so we can get it out there, but because of the circumstances it was really hard to find the time when we were supposed to stop. So, we’d get out there every day and keep going which gave us a big body of work. But I think the songs that became Headful of Sugar are the ones that told the most interesting stories together. Also, the ethos of those songs do relate to each other sonically in that the vocals are very prominent, while the rhythm and the bass are very distorted. A lot have a spirit in common that aligns them.”
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Sunflower Bean explained of some tracks for the album.
“Who Put You Up To This?”
“Are you satisfied? Who put you up to do things that you do? Was it your own choice? Questioning your life is the first step to taking the agency to change it. Sometimes you have to let go of who you have been so that you can become who you want to be."
“In Flight”
“This song is a romantic vision of meeting a lover, running away together, and entering a dangerous new world,” Kivlen said. “It's less safe but also less suffocating. The video follows me through a series of twilight zone-style mishaps as I search to be seen or understood. Things only improve when I finally find like-minded people. Is it a dream? Is it the multiverse? It's for the viewer to decide.”
“Roll the Dice”
“I want to roll the dice again and again my friend/ Faith is child's play, chance is my religion. 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.”
“I Don't Have Control Sometimes”
“I've always thought that my reckless side was both a gift and a curse, leading me to my best choices on stage but my worst choices in life. I don't have control sometimes is admission, acceptance, and almost celebration of the parts of yourself that are impulsive or maybe even insane.”
“Baby Don't Cry”
“So many things in our lives are disposable. Content and news is 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 really part of how we're feeling now and how we're looking towards the future with the music that is on the horizon.” - source : Apple Music
