It’s been three years since the last Sunflower Bean album, but the indie-rock trio returned this spring with Mortal Primetime. Although the LP gleams with confidence, the process leading up to it was packed with personal challenges and transformation. Drummer Olive Faber came out as a transgender woman during the cycle for Headful of Sugar and continued working through her transition, adapting to hormones and starting a side project. The band were also separated by distance, beginning to drift apart after guitarist Nick Kivlen moved across the country. Perhaps that’s why Mortal Primetime sounds like a rejuvenated band — bubbling with newfound intent after nearly losing each other.
Mixed by Caesar Edmunds (The Killers, Wet Leg), engineered by Sarah Tudzin (illuminati hotties, boygenius), and self-produced by the band, Sunflower Bean were drawn to grunge, arena pop, and psychedelia for Mortal Primetime — throwing the energy of their live shows into their studio sessions to create massive shoutalongs. “We were very inspired by the dissonance and the way Alice In Chains plays with that along with harmony,” lead vocalist/bassist Julia Cumming says. “Then there’s this baroque feeling that comes from the writing of our favorite Belle and Sebastian records. I felt the two of those coming together really strongly, especially on songs like ‘Waiting for the Rain.’”
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They also pointed to legendary singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, particularly the way he uses chord progressions and melodies to tell an emotional story. “The lyrics and the melodies create a dreamlike feeling without being psychedelic,” Kivlen adds.
Sunflower Bean just completed a tour across North America, including a performance at COLORSxSTUDIOS. Next, the band will head overseas in the fall to play songs from Mortal Primetime, culminating with a headline performance in London. All dates are here.
See the rest of the influences that shaped Mortal Primetime below.