Sunflower Bean’s fantastic indie rock debut, Human Ceremony,
came second on this List in 2016 and still is in occasional rotation for me 6
years on. In contrast, 2018’s disappointing follow up, Twentytwo in Blue,
didn’t come anywhere near a List placing: it was all polish and had
none of the heart of its predecessor. Album #3 could, therefore, have gone
either way. Happily, it’s much closer to their debut in terms of quality, if
quite a departure from it sonically. A lot has happened to Sunflower Bean
in the last 5 years, with drummer Olive Faber transitioning under a good deal
of public scrutiny and singer/bassist Julia Cummings launching a whole other
career in fashion and modelling. And, you know, pandemic. Perhaps it’s unsurprising,
then, that Headful of Sugar feels like something of a new start.
Venturing into synth pop and disco, while also rediscovering the fuzzy guitar
hooks that graced Human Ceremony, this is more varied than anything
they’ve done before. It’s not as focused as their early stuff but gets points
for not always playing it safe. This record is a massive step in the right
direction after a ropey sophomore effort, albeit that it still falls short of
the high watermark of their debut.