Listen to Sunflower Bean’s Vibrant New Single, “Human For”
Photo by Hollie Fernando
Brooklyn-native rock band and Paste 2016 Best of What’s Next picks Sunflower Bean released on Friday a pulsating new single titled “Human For.” The single is the latest release off the band’s highly anticipated sophomore album, Twentytwo in Blue, set to release March 23 on Mom + Pop. Previous tracks from the album include “I Was a Fool,” “Crisis Fest” and “Twentytwo.”
“Human For” steps away from the melodic tones found in these previous tracks and does something truly experimental. The gripping bass lines of bassist/lead singer Julia Cumming start the song off with a high energy that is only amplified by her powerful vocals and unapologetic lyrics. The song then takes a darkly psychedelic turn as dissonant chords begin to play and a sound bite of a reverend can be heard in the background, talking about “salvation” and “sanctification by the spirit.”
The previously released tracks have all tackled issues taken on by a person coming of age, and “Human For” is no different. Like the tracks preceding it, “Human For” tries to accurately describe a unique aspect of the transitional phase from teenager to adult. In this case, the single talks about the unlearning of a belief system in order to find self-meaning and a personal truth. In an interview with The Fader, Cumming spoke more in-depth about the lessons she learned while leaving her teens and about the single itself: