Album Review: King Of The Dudes [EP] by Sunflower Bean

It's barely 12 minutes long, but the New York trio's stop-gap EP is a four-punch triumph that re-emphasises their unmistakable signature sound Sunflower Bean's debut album 'Human Ceremony' was bright and brilliant, stuffed full of catchy tunes that used ’80s alt-pop choruses and gargantuan riffs to explore the trials of being a teenager. However, it was their second album, 2018's 'Twentytwo in Blue', that really proved what a remarkable band the New York trio are. The record cemented Sunflower Bean's place on the end of scores of "best of" lists (indeed, they placed fourth on NME's) and, even more than that, marked them as a band to sit up and listen to.

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Since the band's inception, Sunflower Bean has struggled to define their musical identity. In 2015, they rooted their debut album in a vogue New York milieu, as lead singer Julia Cumming adopted the vocal style of My Bloody Valentine's Bilinda Butcher. Then, in an effort to depart from their early "fashion band" branding, Sunflower Bean went anti-trend in their 2018 sophomore album, embracing more soft rock sound and taking cues from Fleetwood Mac while performing a slightly more knowing pastiche.

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