Sunflower Bean - King of the Dudes EP

Sweeping away all vestiges of the jangly dream pop band that emerged a few years back, trio Sunflower Bean’s four-track EP, King of the Dudes, moves the band squarely into fists in the air arena rock territory.  Given the slicker sheen of last year’s Twentytwo In Blue, it’s fairly safe to say that King of the Dudes is more of a progression than a sidestep.  Lead singer, Julia Cumming, takes full charge of vocal duties here and undoubtedly she has the chops.  She comes off all swagger and sassafras and if you need a touchpoint, Lita Ford’s late 80s ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ comes to mind.

The best track on display here is the already released ‘Come For Me’.  With its blend of pop and R&B recalling the Jackson’s ‘I Want You Back’, it’s an easy if somewhat generic listen.  But the double entendre lyric of “come for me baby” (get it?) is about as creative as it gets here.  On the flip side, the closing song ‘The Big One’ is a two-minute muddy mess of vocal histrionics topped off by a half-minute screamed outro. 

The other two tracks are forgettable at best.  If there is still a genre of music that goes simply by “Rock and Roll”, maybe that’s what’s on display here.  And if the title of the EP is aspirational, the band ably achieves the “circle jerk shit” they warn about on the title track.   At this rate, Cumming may be on a collision course for a duet with the guy from Greta Van Fleet.  If that holds appeal for anyone, by all means, give this a try.  Otherwise, if King of the Dudes was meant as a one-off goof, hopefully not many notice this one.  It’s enough to erase any interest in what may come next.