New York’s own Sunflower Bean—frontwoman and bassist Julia Cumming, guitarist/vocalist Nick Kivlen, and drummer Olive Faber—are mixing things up with their latest project, Shake. Set to drop on September 27th via Lucky Number, this EP marks a significant milestone for the trio as their first fully self-produced and recorded work. Already turning heads with its gritty, grunge-infused sound, Shake harks back to the band’s early days, delivering a sonic punch that’s impossible to ignore.
Hot on the heels of the EP’s title track, Sunflower Bean has just released a new single, “Teach Me To Be Bad.” According to the band, the track explores the thrill and terror of falling for someone you barely know—a fleeting encounter that can flip your world upside down. It’s a bold move that doubles down on the band’s raw, unfiltered approach to rock.
But Sunflower Bean isn’t stopping there. They’ve announced an exclusive premiere of a 14-minute performance-based short film at NYC’s Roxy Cinema on September 25th. The film, directed by Isaac Roberts, features music videos for “Teach Me To Be Bad” and “Shake,” interpreting each track through the primal forces of nature: earth, wind, water, fire, and metal. Fans lucky enough to attend will also get a Q&A with the band and Roberts, followed by a screening of Dario Argento’s cult classic Deep Red. Tickets available to purchase here.
With Shake, Sunflower Bean leans into their heaviest, loudest, and most immediate sound yet, drawing inspiration from the doom-laden riffs of Black Sabbath. It’s a return to the unapologetic rock excess that defined their early work on Show Me Your Seven Secrets and Human Ceremony. “SHAKE was inspired by our first years as a DIY band, the spirit that birthed us and gave us the chance to have this enduring journey together,” the band explains. This time around, the band handled every aspect of the production themselves, ensuring their vision was unfiltered and pure. “We always felt like rock and roll was a feeling, not a sound. But sometimes there is no subverting it or explaining it. We’re now offering it exactly as it occurred to us.”
Sunflower Bean’s reputation for incendiary live performances has taken them around the globe, sharing stages with heavyweights like Beck, The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, Interpol, Courtney Barnett, The Pixies, The Kills, DIIV, and Wolf Alice. They’ve graced the stages of iconic festivals like Glastonbury, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Reading & Leeds. And in a twist that only adds to their rock cred, they even opened for Bernie Sanders during his primary campaign rallies.
With Shake, Sunflower Bean is proving once again that they’re a force to be reckoned with, ready to carve their place in rock history—loud, proud, and completely on their own terms.
Sunflower Bean Tour Dates
October 2 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
October 9 – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon
October 12 – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
November 16 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
