Sunflower Bean, Twentytwo In Blue - album review

We struggled to recall a lot of what we had listened to, and the same could be said for what was to come as well.

If you cut open The XX and took out the thumping beats, the slight kookiness that has made them an international smash hit, you have this. While not being in any way offensive to the eardrums...very little happens.

There is a fine line between retro rock and the middle of the road, and this unfortunately falls on the latter side. Some poorly over-long tracks add to the dragged out feeling of the record. perhaps we would have loved it more if each tune was more bite-size and quicker to digest?

Repetitive riffs and percussion continue at the same pace without any suggestion of a change of dynamic. It's like the musical equivalent of Joe Mason - and Wolves fans will know how frustrating that is.

Crisis Fest - the vocals don't do much more for the track than unfortunately provide annoyance. And it's the same throughout. It's not that Julia Cumming is a bad vocalist, it just doesn't seem to fit much of what is going on.

While bands like War Paint and Haim have cracked the nut of breezy, female-sung pop rock, this is possibly a little too try hard to fit in. Like it wants to be loved, seen as cool and revered by peers.

There are some good moments for sure. The chorus for Memoria could be lifted from a Fleetwood Mac song, it's that strong. When she is allowed to venture a little further with her volume and power, Cumming sounds much more engrossing.

They go slightly punk for a moment in Human For, but even that drifts towards the frustratingly annoying tones of The Ting Tings as it progresses.

The closer Oh No, Bye Bye sounds quite New Order, too, with its electro percussion and lazy vocals.

But from elsewhere, little support arrives. It's not a classic or one that may grow on us with time either. We wanted to like it much more.

Rating: 4/10

Sunflower Bean are at Birmingham's Hare & Hounds on March 27