Mortal Primetime

Last updated

Mortal Primetime
Sunflower Bean - Mortal Primetime.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Genre
Length35:12
Label Lucky Number
Producer
Sunflower Bean chronology
Headful of Sugar
(2022)
Mortal Primetime
(2025)
Singles from Mortal Primetime
  1. "Champagne Taste"
    Released: January 28, 2025
  2. "Nothing Romantic"
    Released: March 12, 2025

Mortal Primetime is the fourth studio album by American rock band Sunflower Bean. [2] It was released on April 25, 2025, by Lucky Number Records in vinyl, CD and digital formats. [1]

Contents

Background

Succeeding the band's 2022 work, Headful of Sugar, Mortal Primetime consists of ten songs between three and four minutes each, with a total runtime of thirty-five minutes and twelve seconds. [1] The first single and opening track, "Champagne Taste", was released on January 28, 2025, with a music video directed by Isaac Roberts. [2] [3] The second single, "Nothing Romantic", was released on March 12, 2025. [4] The album incorporates elements of alternative rock, folk, and dream pop. [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 88/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Dork Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
The Line of Best Fit Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
New Noise Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg
Paste 9.0/10
Under the Radar 8.5/10

AllMusic rated the album four and a half stars out of five and stated, "If you fell in love with Sunflower Bean's early indie-pop and marveled at their turn towards alt-rock cool, Mortal Primetime is the best of both worlds; an assured album of rock and roll magic, dusted with emotive pop pathos." [1] Under the Radar assigned it a rating of 8.5 out of ten and remarked, "As a consequence Mortal Primetime doesn't shout; it unfolds. Each melody carries its own quiet weight, revealing a band attuned to the power of restraint and the elegance of a well-placed hook." [7] Paste gave the album a rating of 9.0, describing it as "a record which casts aside the traditional rock-band impetus to choose an era, genre, and style of rock and roll's past to emulate—and instead embraces all of them." [8] The Line of Best Fit scored the album seven out of ten and noted, "Mortal Primetime sees the rebirth of the New York trio; emerging from the shadows of winter to tilt their heads towards the brighter, more fruitful pastures of spring." [9] New Noise , rating Mortal Primetime five stars, described it as a nod "towards the past with eyes towards the future", combining "the undoubtable twang of Gwen Stefani and synth pop sound of Tame Impala to create a sound wholly original." [10] Dork rated the album four out of five and commented about its production, stating it "strikes a delicate balance between vintage warmth and modern clarity." [11] DIY assigned it a rating of four and a half, "Across its ten tracks, the band abandon any fixed notion of genre, weaving together elements of alt-rock, folk, and dreamy, blissful pop with remarkable ease." [5]

Track listing

Mortal Primetime track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Champagne Taste"
3:12
2."Nothing Romantic"
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
  • Kelly
3:34
3."Waiting for the Rain"
  • Kivlen
  • Oliver Hill
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
  • Oliver Hill
3:27
4."Look What You've Done to Me"Cumming
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:00
5."I Knew Love"Cumming
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:52
6."Take Out Your Insides"
  • Cumming
  • Kivlen
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:46
7."There's a Part I Can't Get Back"Cumming
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
4:02
8."Please Rewind"Kivlen
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:02
9."Shooting Star"Cumming
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:41
10."Sunshine"Kivlen
  • Cumming
  • Faber
  • Kivlen
3:36
Total length:35:12

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [12]

Sunflower Bean

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for Mortal Primetime
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [13] 69
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [14] 62

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Collar, Matt. "Mortal Primetime – Sunflower Bean". AllMusic . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 28, 2025). "Sunflower Bean Usher in Mortal Primetime Season This Spring". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  3. Murray, Robin (January 30, 2025). "Sunflower Bean Announce New Album Mortal Primetime". Clash . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  4. Carter, Daisy (March 12, 2025). "Sunflower Bean drop roaring new single 'Nothing Romantic'". DIY . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Vázquez, Sophie (April 23, 2025). "Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime". DIY . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  6. "Mortal Primetime – Sunflower Bean". Metacritic . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  7. Von Pip, Andy (April 24, 2025). "Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime (Lucky Number)". Under the Radar . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  8. McLevy, Alex (April 25, 2025). "Sunflower Bean Resist Trends and Take Command on Mortal Primetime". Paste . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  9. Williams, Lana (April 25, 2025). "Sunflower Bean: Mortal Primetime review – fruitful rebirth". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  10. Hasson, Vida (April 25, 2025). "Album Review: Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime". New Noise . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  11. Ellison, Jordan (April 23, 2025). "Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime". Dork . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  12. "Mortal Primetime / Sunflower Bean / Credits". Tidal. April 25, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  13. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  14. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2025.