Over four songs and just twelve minutes, it packs enough punch to inspire air guitar, desk drumming, shower singing and wanting to start a band just so you can try and shred like these three.
Rather than sounding stale or old, it is alive with vibrancy and life.
Effortless and fearless, Sunflower Bean’s latest is a breakneck showcase of the trio’s talent. With each tune a high-octane chunk of the bold, New York indie the band have honed, it’s a triumph.
Given this album is too close old rock hits, it still provides some fun moments and perhaps maybe a good vent Sunflower Bean to go back to exploring their sound.
Sunflower Bean's tunes can be as anthemic as Rainbow at times, and that seems to be the main touchstone on their King Of The Dudes EP.
Though still a bit shaky and cloying, the New York band strikes a good chord with a power-pop sound and starts to carve out a space of their own.
King of the Dudes is well-made and sounds like a band who don't really care what they are expected to do next. But that screw-you-guys point of view cuts both ways.
King of the Dudes ~ ★★★★☆
Come for Me ~ ★★★☆☆
Fear City ~ ★★★★★
The Big One ~ ★★★☆☆
⏳ new & improved: time-weighted score ⏳
Punchy, powerful and convincing. This marks a shift in sound for Sunflower Bean for the better. While the first two tracks greatly outshine the latter two, this E.P demonstrates that Sunflower Bean are capable of making some top tier indie music.
Standouts: Come for Me, King of the Dudes.
7.5/10. Pretty good.
King of the Dudes ~ ★★★★☆
Come for Me ~ ★★★☆☆
Fear City ~ ★★★★★
The Big One ~ ★★★☆☆
⏳ new & improved: time-weighted score ⏳
Well if the album art did not give it away, this is sunflower bean's take on classic rock. Some fun tunes that feel very Thin Lizzy /Ramones, but it's missing that extra umph that elevates these throwback tunes to something new. It's really nice to see the lead singer stepping out of the soft sung tunes of last album and screaming.
1 | King of the Dudes 2:57 | |
2 | Come for Me 3:29 | |
3 | Fear City 3:21 | |
4 | The Big One 2:16 |