Sunflower Bean - Mortal Primetime

'Mortal Primetime' finds Sunflower Bean at their most assured and adventurous, wielding their instruments like storytellers painting with light and shadow. The New York trio's latest album crackles with the electricity of a band who've grown comfortable in their own skin while refusing to settle into predictability.

From the menacing guitar work that opens 'Champagne Taste', it's clear this isn't the same wide-eyed group that burst onto the scene as teenagers. The darkness that threads through the record feels well-earned, each track carrying the weight of lived experience without sacrificing the band's characteristic wit and charm.

The album's emotional centre reveals itself in unexpected places. 'Look What You've Done to Me' manages to be simultaneously cutting and playful, its clever wordplay dancing atop propulsive rhythms. Meanwhile, 'Please Rewind' showcases a tenderness in its harmonies that catches you off guard, like finding a pressed flower in a leather jacket pocket.

The production throughout strikes a delicate balance between vintage warmth and modern clarity. The band's decision to self-record has paid dividends, allowing them to capture both the raw energy of their live performances and the nuanced interplay that comes from years of collaboration. Lead vocalist Julia Cumming's delivery has never been more assured, whether she's snarling through the darker moments or drawing you close during the album's more intimate passages.

What's most impressive is how naturally Sunflower Bean wear their growth. The heavier moments feel like a natural evolution rather than a forced maturation, while quieter songs like 'I Knew Love' demonstrate their expanding emotional palette. Even when they're exploring familiar territory, they find fresh angles – 'Take Out Your Insides' manages to be both breezy and unsettling, a trick few bands could pull off with such apparent ease.

'Mortal Primetime' closes as it began, with 'Sunshine' returning to muscular guitar work, but now weighted with the journey that preceded it. It's a fitting bookend to an album that feels like both a culmination and a new beginning. This is Sunflower Bean at their most focused and fearless, crafting songs that demand repeated listens to uncover their full depth.