Julia

Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming makes an emphatic statement of intent on “My Life”, the first track on her debut solo album. Over a crisp piano melody she boldly sings, “I sing these words for me/To hear the sound/To let them ring/To drown you out.” It’s a declaration, and this confidence courses through the album. Cumming cooks up instrumentals that lean towards the soul-pop and folk ruminations of ’70s Laurel Canyon, transporting herself to Los Angeles on the sardonic “Hollywood Communication”. The NYC-native songwriter moves from contemplative and searching to affirmative and inspiring across the LP. On “Do It All Again”, she sings over percussion and a funky rhythmic backdrop, almost applauding the risk-taking she embraces on the album: “No regrets/I wouldn’t change a thing.”