Sunflower Bean is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Glen Head, New York and
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
founded in 2013. The band consists of
Julia Cumming
Julia Rachel Cumming (born January 16, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter who is the frontwoman and bass player of the Brooklyn-based band Sunflower Bean. Cumming models occasionally, and has modeled for several well known designers and has a ...
(bass, lead vocals), Nick Kivlen (guitars, backing vocals), and Olive Faber (drums). Their most recent album ''Headful of Sugar'' was released in May 2022.
Career
Kivlen and Faber were childhood acquaintances who both enrolled at
North Shore High School in
Glen Head, New York in 2009. They initially collaborated when Olive briefly subbed for the drummer in Turnip King, the band for which Nick was the bassist. By early 2013, the two began to create their own original music, practising and writing in Faber's basement. The name of their new band apparently came about due to Kivlen's obsession with
sunflower seed
The sunflower seed is the seed of the sunflower ('' Helianthus annuus''). There are three types of commonly used sunflower seeds: linoleic (most common), high oleic, and sunflower oil seeds. Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsat ...
s alongside Faber's concurrent love of
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
and
coffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of the ''Coffea'' plant and the source for coffee. It is the pip inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a coffee cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit. Even thou ...
s. The
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
-based Cumming, who had been performing in the band
Supercute!
Rachel Sage Piña-Trachtenburg (born December 10, 1993), professionally known as Rachel Trachtenburg, is an American musician and singer. She is most notable for her key role as drummer and backup vocalist of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Pl ...
along with
Rachel Trachtenburg
Rachel Sage Piña-Trachtenburg (born December 10, 1993), professionally known as Rachel Trachtenburg, is an American musician and singer. She is most notable for her key role as drummer and backup vocalist of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Pl ...
since 2009, met Faber and Kivlen at an early Sunflower Bean show; she agreed to join the band as bassist in August 2013, as Supercute! was dissolving.
In the following year, the band moved from
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
to
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...
, becoming active in the borough's thriving "
DIY" scene, even as they felt ambivalent about much of the scene's aesthetic.
The band's appearance at the 2014
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
Music Marathon received good notices from
All Songs Considered's
Bob Boilen and from
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
's
Jon Pareles, who wrote "New York is still home to bands as varied as Sunflower Bean, whose music suggests what might have happened if psychedelia had emerged after punk and the Police rather than before." They released their first EP, ‘’Show Me Your Seven Secrets’’, initially through their Bandcamp page on January 5, 2015., and later via
Fat Possum Records. The EP, which features the singles "Tame Impala" and "2013", was called "astonishingly good" by the ''NME''. (The band, fans of
Tame Impala, had named a song after the Australian combo, noting that Tame Impala itself had named a song "Led Zeppelin".
) Cumming provided a good description of the band's sound at the time to ''i-D'': "We used to call it 'neo-psychedelia for the digital age', and now we've just been calling it 'night music', however someone may take that. It's like if
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
mixed with
The Smiths, maybe?" The band - then as now - toured relentlessly, gaining themselves the title of New York City's "hardest-working band" in 2014 ); they still tour extensively today, both as headliners and as openers for bands like
Pixies,
Wolf Alice,
DIIV,
Foxygen
Foxygen is an American indie rock duo from Westlake Village, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado and vocalist Sam France. They have released six albums and a number of self-released EPs.
History
R ...
,
Best Coast,
Cherry Glazerr
Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Sami Perez and drummer Tabor Allen. The band's sound has transitioned from lo-fi and ...
and
Sleigh Bells Sleigh Bells may refer to:
* Sleigh bells, a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers.
* Sleigh Bells (band)
Sleigh Bells is an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2008 and ...
.
After a successful series of performances at
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
2015, the band was signed to
Fat Possum Records, and an inaugural 7" single ("I Hear Voices" b/w "The Stalker") was released on July 24. On November 12, 2015, they premiered the single "Wall Watcher" on
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
, announcing also the cover art, release date and track list of their first album, ''Human Ceremony''. The album, which had a more nuanced and pop-friendly feel than the band's earlier "heavy neo-psychedelia" recordings, was released on February 5, 2016, via
Fat Possum
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...
Records. The album was recorded at Thump Studios in
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn ...
in eleven days - produced by Matthew Molnar (formerly of the band
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
) and engineered by
Jarvis Taveniere
Woods or The Woods may refer to:
Common meanings
* Woodland
* Forest
* Wood, solid material from trees or shrubs
Places United States
* Woods, Kentucky
* Woods, Oregon
* Woods, a municipality in Liberty County, Florida
* The Woods, a nei ...
.
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
wrote that ''Human Ceremony's'' "sounds are retro, but the lyrics grapple with the loneliness of contemporary existence"; Faber opined to the magazine that the album was “about the weight of being alive,”, while Kivlen wondered how alien civilizations would grapple with seemingly incomprehensible present-day human behaviors on Earth: “If there was an alien text book, there would be a picture, and the alien-language caption would just say, like, 'Human Ceremony'."
Billboard (magazine)
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
's Joe Lynch wrote "Even though no one in Sunflower Bean is of legal drinking age, the Brooklyn indie trio's Human Ceremony is one of the most fully realized, sonically eclectic debut albums (everything from psych pop to stoner metal gets touched upon) in a minute".
"I Was a Fool", the first single released from Sunflower Bean's second album ''Twentytwo in Blue'', debuted on
NPR's "Songs We Love" series on November 3, 2017, distributed by
Mom + Pop Music
Mom + Pop Music is a New York City-based independent record label whose current roster includes Courtney Barnett, Madeon, Tom Morello, Porter Robinson, Tycho, Tash Sultana, Sunflower Bean, Beach Bunny, Caamp, Del Water Gap and more. Founder an ...
in the US and by Lucky Number Music worldwide. The album, released on March 23, 2018, was co-produced by Matthew Molnar and Jacob Portrait (of
Unknown Mortal Orchestra), recorded at Thump Studios by
Jarvis Taveniere
Woods or The Woods may refer to:
Common meanings
* Woodland
* Forest
* Wood, solid material from trees or shrubs
Places United States
* Woods, Kentucky
* Woods, Oregon
* Woods, a municipality in Liberty County, Florida
* The Woods, a nei ...
, and mixed by Portrait. The band released a second single ("Crisis Fest") on January 12, 2018.
The band released an EP, ''King of the Dudes'', on January 25, 2019 on the Mom + Pop Music label. The EP featured the single "Come For Me".
A single, "Baby Don't Cry", was issued on Mom + Pop on October 13, 2021. This song was included on the band's third full-length album, ''Headful of Sugar'', which was released on May 6, 2022 on Mom + Pop.
Musical influences
Sunflower Bean's influences come from various genres and artists. The acts include
Beach Fossils,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
,
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
,
Captured Tracks
Captured Tracks is an American independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The label was founded in 2008 by Mike Sniper.
About
Current flagship artists include: Craft Spells, DIIV and Wild Nothing.
Captured Tracks has reissued record ...
,
The Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
,
Devo
Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
,
DIIV,
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
,
Glam Rock,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Connan Mockasin
Connan Tant Hosford, better known by the stage name Connan Mockasin and sometimes credited as Connan Hosford, is a New Zealand musician, composer and record producer. Critically acclaimed and described as "a psych-funk oddball...a contrarian", ...
,
The Modern Lovers,
Neu!,
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
,
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
,
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
,
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
,
The Smiths,
Spacemen 3/
Spiritualized,
Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist M ...
,
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
,
Tame Impala,
,
Total Slacker
Total Slacker is an American band from Brooklyn, New York.
In their first year as a group, they released two singles on independent record labels both in the U.S. and Europe and played over 100 shows in New York, garnering the attention of press a ...
,
T. Rex,
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
,
Unknown Mortal Orchestra,
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, and
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
* "Bread" - released January 12, 2014 (self-released via
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
)
* "2013" / "I Want You To Give Me Enough Time (demo)" - released March 17, 2014 (self-released via Bandcamp)
* "Tame Impala" / "Rock & Roll Heathen" - released August 15, 2014 (self-released via Bandcamp)
* "I Hear Voices" / "The Stalker" - released July 24, 2015 (
Fat Possum Records)
* "Wall Watcher" - released November 12, 2015 (Fat Possum Records)
* "Easier Said" - released January 5, 2016 (Fat Possum Records)
* "I Was a Fool" - released November 3, 2017 (Mom + Pop/Lucky Number Music)
* "Crisis Fest" - released January 12, 2018 (Mom + Pop/Lucky Number Music)
* “Come For Me” - released October 30, 2018 (Mom + Pop/Lucky Number Music)
* "Moment In The Sun" - released September 17, 2020 (Mom + Pop/Lucky Number Music)
* "Baby Don't Cry" - released Oct. 13, 2021 (Mom + Pop)
Videos
* "2013" - released March 16, 2014
* "I Want You To Give Me Enough Time (demo)" - released April 14, 2014
* "Tame Impala" - released October 1, 2014
* "Wall Watcher" - released November 12, 2015
* "Easier Said" - released March 9, 2016
* "Come On" - released August 9, 2016
* "I Was a Fool" - released November 3, 2017
* "Crisis Fest" - released January 12, 2018
* "Twentytwo" - released March 5, 2018
References
External links
Official websiteSunflower Bean DiscogsSunflower Bean Vevo
{{Authority control
American musical trios
Fat Possum Records artists
Indie rock musical groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 2013
Musical groups from Brooklyn
Musical groups from Long Island
Musical trios
Neo-psychedelia groups
Post-punk revival music groups
2013 establishments in New York (state)
Mom + Pop Music artists