SUNFLOWER BEAN - King of the Dudes EP

Sunflower Bean represent one of the freshest new acts to emerge in recent years from the ever-hyperactive New York scene. Not so much, or not only, for the kind of music on offer, which essentially adds nothing to an already pretty eclectic but at the same time somewhat "already heard" repertoire, as for the dose of healthy adrenaline coursing through the songs written by the trio led by blonde frontwoman Julia Cumming.

A trait that resurfaces on “King Of The Dudes”, a very short EP clocking in at just 12 minutes which, in its role as a bridge between one full-length and the next, serves above all to show how much the American band continues to sail along propelled by an enviable state of form. Encouraged too by the short format, usually the one best suited to forays into different fields, Sunflower Bean instead seem to be having a lot of fun carrying on that stylistic exercise straddling eras and assorted, remixed sounds that they've been honing for a good five years now.

“Fear City”, for instance, is another entry in the Fleetwood Mac vein, though ultimately a minor presence within a slim tracklist that steers more decisively toward a sharper alt-rock verve. “King Of The Dudes” settles into that breezy nineties indie rock that the New Yorkers know how to handle with just the right mix of skill and couldn't-care-less attitude, succeeding where other contemporary bands have failed. Even better is “The Big One”, a punk-rock track that revives comparisons to Runaways and assorted followers.

Decent is the more pop-oriented (but also a bit overly polished) attempt of “Come For Me”, but deep down we still prefer Sunflower Bean in their less calculated, wilder guise.

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14/02/2019