The Soft Moon Drops Industrial New Single "Choke", US Tour This March, New Album 'Criminal' out Feb 2 via Sacred Bones

In anticipation of the release of his fourth studio album Criminal (out Feb 2 via Sacred Bones), Berlin via Oakland artist The Soft Moon - aka Luis Vasquez - today shares heavy new industrial single “Choke”, which originally premiered today via Revolver.

“I created 'Choke' as a theme song to my recurring corruptive behavior,” Luis Vasquez explains of the song's inspiration. “It’s emblematic of my sleepless nights, wandering the streets of Berlin like some paranoid animal, while capturing the unbearable sound of my pulsating heart deep inside my chest. Full of ego and full of fear at the same time”

LISTEN: The Soft Moon - “Choke”:
https://youtu.be/NynO4OqNSeE

The Soft Moon embarks on his 2018 tour in February with a month-long US run with Boy Harsherstarting in March. Tour dates and more information below.

The Soft Moon 2018 Tour Dates:
02/02 - Baden, CH - One of a Million Festival
02/03 - Marghera, IT - C.S. Rivolta
02/06 - Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset %
02/07 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik %
02/08 - Stockholm, SE - Slaktkyrkan %
02/09 - Oslo, NO - Bla %
02/10 - The Hague, NL - Grauzone Festival
02/11 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
02/12 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
02/13 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree #
02/14 - Paris, FR - Le Trabendo #
02/15 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord #
02/16 - London, UK - The Dome #
02/17 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (Botanique) #
02/18 - Luxembourg, LU - De Gudde Wëllen #
02/20 - Yverdon Les Bains, CH - L’Amalgame #
02/21 - Milan, IT - Magnolia #
02/22 - Rome, IT - Monk #
02/23 - Napoli, IT - Lanificio #
02/24 - Bologna, IT - Covo #
03/07 - Munich, DE - Kranhalle §
03/08 - Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz §
03/09 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang §
03/10 - Cologne, DE - Gebaude 9 §
03/11 - Saarbrucken, DE - Garage Club §
03/13 - Nijmegen, NL - Doomroosje §
03/14 - Lille, FR - Les Paradis Artificiels §
03/15 - Nantes, FR - Stereolux §
03/16 - Lyon, FR - Epicerie Moderne §
03/27 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
03/28 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
03/29 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount *
03/30 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *
03/31 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
04/02 - Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club *
04/04 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
04/06 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *
04/07 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
04/08 - Vancouver, BC - BIltmore Cabaret *
04/11 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
04/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
04/14 - San Diego, CA - Casbah *
04/16 - Las Vegas, NV - The Bunkhouse *
04/17 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
04/19 - Dallas, TX - Three Links *
04/20 - Austin, TX - Barracuda *
04/21 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger *
04/22 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa *
04/24 - Gainesville, FL - The Wooly *
04/25 - Miami, FL - Gramps *
04/26 - Tampa, FL - The Crowbar *
04/27 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *
04/28 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight *
04/29 - Washington, DC - DC9 *

% w/ MATTEO VALLICELLI
# w/ SARIN
§ w/ HELM
* w/ BOY HARSHER

Pre-Order The Soft Moon - Criminal Here:
http://hyperurl.co/TSMCriminal

The Soft Moon's fourth studio album, Criminal, is a confessional work. Through the stark lens of shame and guilt that has followed Luis Vasquez since a violent childhood growing up within the humming ambient sprawl of 80s Mojave Desert, here he documents the gut-wrenching sound of going to war with himself. Battling with his own sanity, self-hatred, insecurity, self-entitlement and grappling with the risk of these things transforming him into a person he despises, Vasquez has laid his feelings bare with this: his confession and most self-reflective work to date.

“Guilt is my biggest demon and has been following me since childhood. Everything I do strengthens the narrative that I am guilty” Vasquez reflects. “The concept of ‘Criminal’ is a desperate attempt to find relief by both confessing to my wrongdoings and by blaming others for their wrongdoings that have affected me.”

Criminal marks a striking and important chapter in his self-exploration, both artistically and emotionally. As a young musician living in Oakland, Vasquez began to try and process the narrative of his difficult upbringing veiled through musical exploration. Taking krautrock's motorik beats and Post-Punk deconstructions and honing them into a hushed percussive incantation, The Soft Moon's self-titled debut album took shape. The album was released in late 2010 by Captured Tracks and was praised by critics and emulated by contemporaries.

In 2012 the apocalyptic conceptual work of Zeros emerged, shortly followed by Vasquez moving to Venice, Italy in 2013, acting as a catalyst for 2014’s release, Deeper. While previous albums were primarily instrumental records, where Vasquez’s voice was diffused amidst the music as another instrument, Deeper marked the beginning of a new musical direction where vocals and lyrics became something more than a mere presence. Deeper was a descent into the womb of childhood trauma, anxiety and fear, and although Vasquez survived this dark exploration of himself, he did not return alone.

Working once more with Maurizio Baggio, who produced Deeper, at La Distilleria in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy, Criminal sees Vasquez further explore putting his lyrics at the forefront and letting his raw emotions flow. The album begins with a confrontation with his true self through the torrid bass lines and searing vocals of “Burn”; a song evoking a loss of control akin to demonic possession, stating: "Eyes, reflecting the person that I am, and it burns". In this track Vasquez's guilt bores deeper and deeper into a condemnation that ultimately is: "Fire, hell is where I'll go to live, so I burn”.

“Burn” is followed by the caustic bass, mechanized rhythms, and numbing emulsions of “Choke,” a song about the amplifying and anesthetizing effect of cocaine, a drug whose darker side Vasquez is not unfamiliar with. The next track “Give Something” is a subterranean love song from the deepest depths, with harrowingly despondent lyrics, seeking hope in a sea of shame.

The album continues its thematic inner conflict in the Industrial/EBM percussion and distorted high attack bass of “Like a Father”, a song reflecting Vasquez's anger towards the father that abandoned him. “This head is a problem/You're the ghost of my problem/Something's got to give”pleads Vasquez as revving guitars invoke chainsaws before the song’s final lines search for closure: to kill the father within himself.

The album closes with title track “Criminal”; a despondent resignation to guilt; bereft, broken, and bruised, with lyrics that confess: “It's the way I cross the line, it's the way I open, it's the way to my decline, it's the way I'm broken”. The song, like the album itself, is Vasquez's way of holding himself accountable and seeking redemption for the abuse he inflicts on himself, and acknowledges roots in the abuse which, inflicted upon him as a child, broke him.

Dream Wife Stream Debut Album via NPR First Listen + Announce U.S. Tour with Sunflower Bean

"Dream Wife is a perfect example of what makes SXSW special, the discovery and excitement of seeing something real that has feeling and meat to it, and makes you grateful you were there to witness it." - NPR Music

"Punk rock trio Dream Wife make music that flips a middle finger to convention." - The FADER

"Dream Wife's most recent singles are two of the most urgent, empowering, and subversive rock jams of 2017" -Gorilla vs. Bear

"a well-oiled machine worthy of the Strokes but performed with the righteous indignation of Bikini Kill...snappy, punk-informed rock 'n' roll." - Stereogum

"why they rule: Astounding musical precision, addictive melodies, and plenty of heart." - Entertainment Weekly

"Dream Wife offer a soundtrack ripe for a punk Sofia Coppola movie soundtrack" - NYLON

London-based and British/Icelandic born punk rock trio Dream Wife will release their long-awaited self-titled debut album next week, but starting today you can stream the record early courtesy of NPR First Listen. Since forming in 2015 as a college art school project, Dream Wife - a name chosen as commentary on society's objectification of women - have become one of the foremost up-and-coming bands out of the U.K. With their debut album they come out guns blazing, armed with strong messages of empowerment backed by their fierce live shows where inclusivity is not only encouraged, but required. Stream Dream Wife now HERE, and pre-order the recordphysically HERE or digitally HERE.

Dream Wife have also just announced that they'll bring their ferocious live set on the road withSunflower Bean this Spring, but first will play Brooklyn with two gigs next week that are not to be missed. They will also tour throughout UK, Europe, and Australia over the next few months. See below to find a show near you, and get your tickets HERE.

Dream Wife is more than just a band, Dream Wife is a way of life. You'll struggle to find a tighter knit trio than this trio of astrological fire signs. The band came together while they were studying at Brighton University in the U.K., with roommates Rakel – who was born in Iceland and raised in California – and Bella deciding they needed to enlist hotshot guitarist Alice while a fewJägerbombs deep on an indie disco dance-floor. Alice responded to the pair's Facebook message instantly and the dayglo world of Dream Wife was born. Initially formed as part of a performance art project, and a way to obtain their dream trip to Canada, they quickly realized that their chemistry was too powerful for them just to be a one time thing. They took themselves out on the road under their own steam, and started touring with only four songs and without a booking agent, promoter or a tour manager.

The band chose Dream Wife for its wordplay, not from the 1953 Hollywood rom-com which none of them had ever seen, and for its wry nod to their feminist politics. "It's a commentary on the objectification of women; the 1950s American Dream stereotype package. Having the dream house, the dream car and the dream wife," they explain. "We want to flip the script on that. Women aren't objects; we don't just fit into one mold. At the start, we joked around calling each other our wives, but by supporting one another, celebrating achievements together and finding strength in female solidarity we're reclaiming the concept of a 'wife.' Being in a band is a marriage in itself."

When it comes to their sound, Dream Wife worships at the twin altars of David Bowie and Madonna. A scene unto themselves, their gigs are a riot of handmade props and stage sets that cover everything from space beaches to haunted graveyards, while their finely tuned show is the product of extreme DIY beginnings. It's the songs too that make the shows, from the fiery fury of "FUU," to the new wave politico-pop of "Somebody," and euphoric old school indie hit "Fire." These are songs in the classic mold – big, beautiful and crazily catchy. And, of course, there's the three dynamic women at the band's core. Alice is convinced the group's drive and dedication comes from the fact they're all fire symbols. "We're a power trio," she says. "There's a crazy energy between us." Bella is in agreement; "It is magic when we're together." Get ready to fall under Dream Wife's spell.

Dream Wife are: Rakel Mjöll (lead vocals), Alice Go (guitar and vocals) and Bella Podpadec (bass and vocals).

Mount Eerie Announces New Album 'Now Only' - Hear New Song "Distortion" - North American Tour Dates Announced

Praise for A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie

“[These songs] suggest what it might be like to look at a person but, instead of seeing their clothes and skin, gazing directly upon their strained muscles, their nerves firing sparks, their blood frantically coursing through their arteries, and understand just how fragile the whole damn thing is.”  - Jon Caramanica, NY Times Best Albums of 2017

“Hearing Elverum catalog his grief and confusion with tenderness and bracing honesty does a couple of things at once: It Makes us feel less alone, and it reminds us to go easy on ourselves.” – Pitchfork, Best Albums of 2017

“Through a series of ramshackle folk ruminations, Elverum sketches out the details of bereavement you never see on TV or in the movies: the spooky quiet and cleanliness of hospitals, the mail orders that a loved one never gets to receive, and the anxiety of speaking to friends in public when all you want to do is scream.” – Vulture, Best Albums of 2017

“I realized what a rare gift Elverum has given us in this document of mourning: A Crow Looked At Me breaks you, mends and breaks again, but rebuilds other paths beyond.” – NPR, Best Albums of 2017

Mount Eerie, Anacortes, Washington’s Phil Elverum, has announced the release of Now Only, out March 16th on P.W. Elverum & Sun. The album follows the widely acclaimed A Crow Looked At Me, a raw and affecting album about the death of Elverum’s wife, artist and musician Geneviève Castrée. A Crow Looked At Me was recently named one of the best albums of 2017 by The New York Times, the Atlantic, New York Magazine, NPR, Pitchfork, SPIN, Consequence of Sound, Tiny Mix Tapes, and more.

Now Only is a continuation and deepening of the themes presented on that album. Elverum further explores that style of direct, unadorned lyrical writing, with further ruminations on Castrée’s death and their life together, the effects of the sudden success of these intimate songs, and the concept of remembrance. Today Elverum has shared “Distortion,” a remarkable and complex weaving together of stories and thoughts that touch on all of those themes. Underpinned by a hypnotic and melancholy swirl of guitar, the 11 minute epic is an arresting and beautiful exploration of the intricacies of legacy.

Pre-order Now Only: http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/store

Mount Eerie has announced select North American dates to coincide with the release of Now Only in March. Additionally, Elverum will be performing previously announced dates in New Zealand and Australia later this month, and then will be performing at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco twice on February 22nd.

Mount Eerie Tour Dates

Jan. 19 – Auckland, NZ – Academy Cinemas

Jan. 21 – Perth, AU – Mojos

Jan. 23 – Sydney, AU – City Recital Hall

Jan. 24 – Melbourne, AU – Melbourne Recital Centre

Jan. 25 – Castlemaine, AU – Theatre Royal

Feb. 22 – San Francisco, CA – Swedish American Hall (Two Performances)

Mar. 22 – Maspeth, NY – Knockdown Center

Mar. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian

Mar. 29 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall

Mar. 30 – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theatre

Phil Elverum’s evolution as a songwriter has hinged on a balance of boundlessness and intimacy. As Mount Eerie, and prior to 2004 as The Microphones, he has pioneered a distinct form of existential music that feels entirely homegrown. While each album has been unique in sound and approach, they all grapple with big questions in ways that are human and relatable.  Death and conceptions of self are recurring themes, presented in direct and oblique ways. Over the course of two decades he has developed an international following almost completely divorced from the larger music industry, releasing and recording his own albums, and booking his own tours. Few songwriters can match the depth of both thought and emotion that Elverum puts into his work.

The death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée, in 2016 from cancer marked a monumental shift in his life and his music. In the months after her death, in the throes of grief and learning how to be a single parent to their young daughter, Elverum wrote and recorded A Crow Looked At Me, a devastating and raw expression of loss. “Death is real,” he sang into a microphone, and then to audiences around the world. The album became Elverum’s most acclaimed work, with the New York Times calling it “the work of an elegant songwriter knowing just how to render devastation,” and Pitchfork saying it “forc[es] the listener into the kind of magical thinking that transforms everything in the living world into a sign of the dead, only to snap back into a reality that for better and worse means nothing.” The intimacy implied by Elverum’s earlier work became the music’s overwhelming quality, with the words being sung creating a direct line between the listener and Elverum’s grief, presented clearly and unencumbered by flair.

Now Only, written shortly following the release of A Crow Looked At Me and the first live performances of those songs, is a deeper exploration of that style of candid, undisguised lyrical writing. It portrays Elverum’s continuing immersion in the strange reality of Geneviève’s death, chronicling the evolution of his relationship to her and her memory, and of the effect the artistic exploration of his grief has had on his own life. The scope of Now Only encompasses not only hospitals and deathbeds, but also a music festival, childhood memories of conversations with Elverum’s mother, profound paintings and affecting artworks he encounters, a documentary about Jack Kerouac, and most significantly, memories of his life with Geneviève. These moments and thoughts resonate with each other, creating a more complex and nuanced picture of mourning and healing. The power of these songs comes not from the small, sharp moments of cutting phrases or shocks, but the echoes that weave the songs together, the way a life is woven.

The music, fully realized by Elverum alone at home, is fleshed out texturally and seems to react to the words in real time. In a moment of confusion, dissonance abruptly makes itself known; in a moment of clarity, gentle piano arises. On the title track, the blunt declaration of “people get cancer and die” is subverted by a melody that can only be described as pop. As Elverum reinvents his lyrical process, he is also refining his musical vocabulary.

Elverum’s life during the period he wrote Now Only was defined by the duality of existing with the praise and attention garnered by A Crow Looked At Me and the difficult reality of maintaining a house with a small child by himself, as well as working to preserve Geneviève’s artistic legacy. Consumed with the day to day of raising his daughter, Elverum felt his musical self was so distant that it seemed fictional. Stepping into the role of Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie held the promise of positive empathy and praise, but also the difficulty of inhabiting the intense grief that produced the music. These moments, both public and domestic, are chronicled in these songs. They are songs of remembrance, and songs about the idea of remembrance, about living on the cusp of the past and present and reluctantly witnessing a beloved person’s history take shape.  Time continues.

Starchild & The New Romantic Announces Debut Album Language, Out Feb 23rd | New Single Out Now via Ghostly

The past two years have been busy and fruitful for Bryndon Cook, who releases music as Starchild & The New Romantic. The Brooklyn-based musician and songwriter has spent much of this time touring and collaborating with Solange on her Seat at the Table tour, which included performances across the globe at a variety of museums and unique venues. All while doing this, Cook signed to Ghostly International, released his debut EP Crucial (2016), was profiled by The New York Times as an Up Next artist to watch and was included in Rolling Stones’ 25 Under 25 list for 2017. 

No sign of slowing down, Cook is excited to announce the tracklist and release date for his debut full length Language. Out Februarty 23rd via Ghostly, Language is the sound of Bryndon Cook occupying his space with unapologetic eloquence, envisioning a world where the crimson qualities of sensitivity and softness aren’t shamed, they are celebrated as magic.

Today you can hear the self-titled single from Language, which puts Bryndon’s elegance and song writing chops on full display. The song’s gliding keys and funky synth lines help to elevate a story of a man enamored by his lover’s words.

Listen to "Language" Here

https://soundcloud.com/ghostly/starchild-the-new-romantic-language

"Black boys have a whole world of complexity that society makes us stomp out of ourselves." Languagecommunicates Cook’s refusal to do so. Describing himself early-on as a "young romantic boy from Maryland," he’s long been a dreamer, a student of black music’s rich lineage and its intersection with pop. Cook is drawn to landmark moments where artists have found truth in darkness; the diverse language of music living in their core. These records in which phrases and motifs are deployed to document worth and define perspective, identity, callsto action. The pop album as artistic statement, as thesis. This record is his; lifting off from the monochrome world of Crucial, his 2016 EP on Ghostly International, up towards a dazzling blood-rush of sky-high defiance and autonomy. On Language, Cook refines his phonics for funk, electro, and R&B, and arrives at a revelation, best summarized by a single motto: "my sensitivity is my strength."

The artist is bold and mercurial, using the album format to champion intersectionality and challenge notions and binaries; old and new, black and white, religiosity and sexuality. At first, the objectives were more intimate; he wrote as a means of diversion and catharsis. Lyrically, the album fixates on dissipated love, detailing his dependence on the device that once linked him to his former partner during tours.

Watch Starchild & The New Romantic’s Live Performance From National Sawdust

https://youtu.be/sFy_ptm2xqY

"When I wrote these songs, the sunshine of my mind was beginning to set in a dark place. I found myself developing almost a surrogate relationship with my telephone. I would fall asleep at night clutching it, waiting for a call. When we parted, I would become attached to my phone as a conduit to this person I had lost. Melodies came to me all over the world. Quite often, hooks and choruses, which were catchy to me and distracted my mind from the immense, earth-shattering pain I was being railroaded through."

Sonically and spiritually, Cook finds guidance in grand standards: looking up to producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, studying their contributions to the New Jack Swing era and pop music at large. Touchstone statements like Janet Jackson's Control, Michael Jackson's Bad, and Prince's 1999. Singular breakout LPs from Terence Trent D'Arby and Bobby Brown. The honesty of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska and Carole King's Tapestry; the ingenuity of Laurie Anderson. Cook also reflects on recent years with Solange, as part of her touring band, and collaborations with Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, as reminders of artistic individuality. "Being around them now urges me to find my own way of delivering my own messages."

Cook expands his message and its impact by arranging talents. For the first time, sessions included members of his band, The New Romantic, allowing for keyboard/synth parts to be recorded straight-through, with no punch-ins, and a more dynamic atmosphere overall. Further, Cook recruits The Newark Boys Chorus to underscore the most poignant lines of "Boys Choir," giving them the entire stage for the coda: "Be it understood. / This love is mine."   

Moves like this get to the root of the record: a contemplation of the boyhood that never truly leaves us. "In the black community, any sign of femininity or childlike wonder is often misconstrued as weakness, because society has always expected us to be strong. They prey on us as kids and take us to prison like adults. They kill us on the street."

Here, elevated, inside the carmine dust of Language, those pressures and boundaries evaporate. "We land on the moon, and we dance on it," proclaims Cook. "We scream up there where no one can judge us."

Pre-order Language at The Ghostly Store: https://www.theghostlystore.com/products/language
Or at the retailer of your choice: https://Ghostly.lnk.to/starchild-language

SUNFLOWER BEAN Announce Sophomore Album Twentytwo in Blue out 3/23 via Mom + Pop

Early praise for Twentytwo in Blue:

"Spirited interpreters of rock 'n' roll's eternal truths, the three early-20s New Yorkers who make up Sunflower Bean are equally adept at studio finesse (witness their recent single 'I Was a Fool') and raucous live noise." - New York Times

"On 'I Was a Fool,' the band clears away some of the psych-rock haze that clouded their prior work, allowing the trebly guitar licks, bouncy bass lines, and especially Cumming's voice to shine...[the band's] chemistry remains on full display." - Pitchfork

"Sunflower Bean's 'I Was A Fool' is one of those great sunny-sounding sad songs. It's fuzzy and wistful and a little bit country, like Rilo Kiley, or all the best Woods records." - The FADER

"The Brooklyn trio made a splash in 2016 - including on EW's year-end list - with their jangling brand of psych-rock. Their latest single drifts in the clouds" - Entertainment Weekly

"It's nice to hear they haven't lost one ounce of their cool." - NYLON

"The jaunty ['I Was A Fool'] recalls Fleetwood Mac, and features more of the buoyant guitars and call-and-response vocals of Nick Kivlen and Julia Cumming that helped make the band's debut so charming." - Consequence of Sound

"Despite its blissful drift, 'I Was a Fool' finds Sunflower Bean at their sharpest, portending a quite triumphant return." -Paste

Today New York trio Sunflower Bean announce their sophomore record Twentytwo in Blue. The album will be released on March 23rd - when all members of the band will be 22 years old - and comes almost two years and two months after the release of their critically acclaimed 2016 debut album Human Ceremony. Co-produced by Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Jacob Portrait (who also mixed the record) and HC-producer Matt Molnar of Friends, Twentytwo in Blue shows Sunflower Bean stay true to their guitar band core and classic rock-inspired roots, while exploring new sonic textures with more direct and progressive themes. Unlike their debut, which was essentially a compilation of songs Sunflower Bean wrote while still in their teens,Twentytwo in Blue was made in the year between December 2016 and December 2017 and showcases how far the band has come since playing together in their high school days. See below for album art, tracklisting, and upcoming tour dates - get your tickets HERE. Pre-order Twentytwo in Blue, out 3/23 on Mom + Pop,HERE or HERE.

To celebrate the album announce, Sunflower Bean share a new single entitled "Crisis Fest." "2017 - we know/ Reality's one big sick show/ Every day's a crisis fest," vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming sings. "This last year was extremely alarming, traumatic, and politically volatile," explains the band about the track. "While writing this album, we often reflected back on the people we met while on tour. We felt a strong kinship with the audiences that came to see us all over the country, and we wanted to write a song for them - something to capture the anxieties of an uncertain future. 'Crisis Fest' is less about politics and more about the power of us, the young people in this country." Listen to the new single HERE, stream it on digital services HERE and watch the Andy DeLuca-directed music video exclusively at Apple Music HERE.

When Kivlen, Faber and Cumming completed a near 200-show world tour on Thanksgiving of 2016, the plan was for the trio to take a well-earned and extended break. That idea didn't last long. "By mid-December we were already back in Jacob's basement on Long Island just working on ideas," recalls Kivlen. By December 2017, Twentytwo in Blue was complete.

Sunflower Bean find a sublime maturity and progression to their sound and songwriting on Twentytwoin Blue.  Reflecting on their past "rock"-heavy releases, the band decided to embrace a softer, and sweeter side on this record. This not only meant slowing things down a bit this time around, but also finds Cumming truly singing like never before. "We're a rock band, and we would never want to be a ballad-y band," she says. "But also I think when you're like 18 and 19, you need to scream, you know? And in life you'll always need to scream. I was a little afraid to show myself as a singer, even to my band mates, but I did and we were able to push ourselves. I think if anything, after making this we're the most well-rounded we've ever been."

If there was a ragged beauty in the gauzy, groovy wall of sound of Human Ceremony and its predecessor, the 2015 EP Show Me Your Seven Secrets, there's a new directness to these songs, a product of the band's growth and the insanity of the times we're in. Sunflower Bean have gained a newly confident voice that they bring to the second album, one that doesn't shy away from addressing the other events of those two years - political changes and cultural shifts that have left America and the world stupefied. "This has been such an unbelievable time," says Kivlen. "I can't imagine any artist of our ilk making a record and not have it be seen through the lens of the political climate of 2016 and 2017. So I think there's a few songs on the record that are definitely heavily influenced by this sort of - whatever you want to say what the Trump administration has been." "A shit show," offers a helpful Faber.

Ultimately, this record is much more than a political statement or piece of commentary on today's political climate. "I think one word that always comes to mind when I think about this record is lovable," says Cumming. "We want the songs to be something that someone can get attached to, and have be a part of them. Because that's what I look for in songs myself, and that's the kind of experience we want to give to others."