By: Kayleigh Drake

If there’s one central theme running through Sunflower Bean’s catalogue, it’s that there isn’t really a central theme to any particular album. Not in terms of the music, anyway. Ever since the release of 2016’s “Human Ceremony,” each Sunflower Bean record has been an amalgamation of genres, styles and musical influences that range from neo-psychedelia to post-punk to 80s-era glam rock. And honestly, with a vocalist as talented as Julia Cumming, this band clearly has better things to do than pigeonhole themselves.

Their latest offering, the 10-track LP “Mortal Primetime,” is a perfect example of that. And actually, I’m going to take back my previous “no central theme” statement. The obvious common thread in Sunflower Bean’s discography is Julia’s impressive pipes. Equal parts angelic and theatrical, her voice is the shining star of “Mortal Primetime.” You can tell she’s a professionally trained vocalist, and it serves the songs well.

This album opens on an incredibly strong note with “Champagne Taste,” a super-catchy alt-pop bop full of distorted guitars (my fave) and infectious melodies. “I-I-I-I-I got the Champagne taste, I know you wanna give it a siiiiiiip” — I dare you not to sing along with that line as you inevitably play this song on repeat like I did. Next up is “Nothing Romantic,” which gives me Pat Benatar vibes. “There’s nothing romantic in being alone,” Julia belts in the chorus — I can’t exactly relate to that, but damn is it fun to sing! 

“Waiting for the Rain” is a slower track that sees a switch-up of lead vocal duties, although Julia’s voice still shines in the harmonies during the chorus. And speaking of the chorus, this one gives us a key change, which is a flourish that I will ALWAYS welcome in a song. It’s such a simple way to add interest to the track, and that’s exactly what it does in this one. 

The next two tracks — “Look What You’ve Done to Me” and “I Knew Love” — continue the slower-paced trend, but things pick back up with “Take Out Your Insides,” a deceptively sweet indie-pop song that reminds me a lot of Rilo Kiley, a.) because of the music itself and b.) because of the “lighthearted pop melody paired with somewhat morbid lyrics” aspect. “There’s a Part I Can’t Get Back” veers into early 90s Britpop territory, specifically the Sundays, as this song would feel right at home on “Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.” 

“Please Rewind” is a much more stripped-down, drumless, acoustic-based track that’s loaded with vocal harmonies that immediately bring to mind the song “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills and Nash. “Shooting Star” continues the 70s folky vibes but brings the full instrument lineup back into action. 

Finally, we get to my favorite song on the whole record: closing track “Sunshine.” This is straight-up shoegaze right here, complete with heavy, fuzzy wall-of-sound guitars, a downtempo beat and reverb-drenched harmonized vocals that almost blend into the music at times. Basically, it sounds just like My Bloody Valentine, aka my favorite band of all time, and it’s an excellent way to close out the album. In fact, it kind of reminds me of MBV’s “I Can See It (But I Can’t Feel It),” which is also the closing track on “Isn’t Anything,” and also happens to be my favorite song on that album. Come through, similarities!

All in all, “Mortal Primetime” is a something-for-everyone kind of album, and if you like indie-rock music at all, I guarantee you’ll find a song you enjoy on this record. I certainly did!