Sunflower Bean | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Listen to new albums out today by XPNFest artists Sunflower Bean and Courtney Marie Andrews
New Music Friday has blessed us this week, with the release of two new full-lengt albums from artists we’ll be getting better acquainted with this summer at XPNFest.
First, Sunflower Bean‘s Twentytwo In Blue – written while the band were all 22 years old – sees the New York City trio grappliing with an array of modern day topics, ranging from dealing with relationships to reacting to the current political climate. An eclectic range of sounds, the band takes inspiration from glam rock and punk, shoegaze and hints of folk. XPN hosted the trio of Brooklynites for a Fee at Noon set this past January, and the then-unreleased songs sounded sublime.
Throughout the album, frontwoman Julia Cumming displays her wide vocal range, from the angsty anthemic-punk track “Crisis Fest” to the blissfully atmospheric “I Was A Fool.” On the former, the band channels everyday anxieties, ranging from mounting student debt to seemingly-more-frequent missile tests and false alarms. Cumming shouts “Reality’s one big sick show,” a sentiment many can relate to in this day and age. Read our recap of their Free at Noon set and stream today’s World Cafe Session including a live performance and interview with contributing host, Stephen Kallao.
Also on the new release queue is May Your Kindness Remain, the latest output from the indie-pop & folk artist Courtney Marie Andrews. Available to stream early thanks to NPR, today sees the proper release of Andrews’ fourth LP to all platforms. The 10-track album “covers a lot of ground on the span of the record, her vividly descriptive lyrics exploring everything from financial and emotional hardship to depression and loneliness,” as Sarah Hojsak wrote on The Key last week. Read the rest of her first reaction of the album while unpacking Andrews’ latest.
If you can’t wait until July to see the singer-songwriter live, head down to Boot & Saddle tomorrow night to catch Andrews perform. Head to the Concert Calendar for details and tickets to that show, and visit the XPNFest website for tickets to see both these artists join us at Wiggins Park this July for the XPoNential Music Festival.