Twentytwo in Blue

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Twentytwo in Blue
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 23, 2018 (2018-03-23)
RecordedDecember 2016-December 2017[1]
Genre
Length40:30
LabelMom + Pop Music
Lucky Number
Producer
  • Matthew Molnar
  • Jacob Portrait
Sunflower Bean chronology
Human Ceremony
(2016)
Twentytwo in Blue
(2018)
Singles from Twentytwo in Blue
  1. "I Was a Fool"
    Released: November 3, 2017
  2. "Crisis Fest"
    Released: January 12, 2018
  3. "Twentytwo"
    Released: February 23, 2018
  4. "Human For"
    Released: March 16, 2018
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB[5]
Clash8/10[6]
Consequence of SoundB[7]
DIY[8]
Drowned in Sound4/10[9]
MusicOMH[10]
NME[11]
Paste8/10[12]
Pitchfork6.4/10[13]

Twentytwo in Blue is the second studio album by American indie rock band Sunflower Bean. It was released on March 23, 2018, under Lucky Number in the UK and Mom + Pop Music worldwide.[14]

Release[edit]

The first single "I Was A Fool" was released on November 3, 2017.[15] Guitarist Nick Kivlen explained the song "seemingly crept up from nowhere and into our practice space. It was a special moment between the three of us, Julia and I both improvised the lyrics."

The second single "Crisis Fest" was released on January 12, 2018, along with the announcement of their second album.[14][1]

On February 23, 2018, the third single "Twentytwo" was released.[16]

The fourth single "Human For" was released on March 16, 2018.[17]

Critical reception[edit]

Twentytwo in Blue was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 78, based on 20 reviews.[4] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 76 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 24 reviews.[2]

Tim Sendra from AllMusic said the band "don't pull any punches and the record has an immediate impact, both sonically and emotionally. About half the record sounds like the work of a road-tested, whip-smart rock & roll band," while noting the album fits "together perfectly; from the songs to the sounds to the performances, it's indie rock and pop at their thoughtful, searching, sweet, and punchy best."[3] Alex McLevy from The A.V. Club said the album is "tighter in execution, broader in scope, and more pop-focused in nearly every way. Taken as a collection, it sounds like a jukebox full of lost ’70s hits."[5] In a review published by Clash, Aurora Henni Krogh said "Sunflower Bean have found a maturity and a balance between lyrics and melody that infatuates. Though they sometimes still miss, 'Twentytwo In Blue' stakes out the loss of innocence that comes with growing up, and it does it beautifully."[6]

Accolades[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Twentytwo in Blue track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Burn It"4:18
2."I Was a Fool"3:33
3."Twentytwo"4:32
4."Crisis Fest"3:31
5."Memoria"3:42
6."Puppet Strings"4:00
7."Only a Moment"4:14
8."Human For"2:23
9."Any Way You Like"3:43
10."Sinking Sands"2:32
11."Oh No, Bye Bye"4:05

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Twentytwo in Blue
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[25] 16
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 5

Personnel[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Label Format(s) Catalog
Worldwide March 23, 2018 Mom + Pop CD, LP MP333
UK March 23, 2018 Lucky Number CD, LP Lucky115

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Fu, Eddie (January 13, 2018). "Sunflower Bean announce new album, Twentytwo in Blue, share "Crisis Fest"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Sendra, Tim. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  5. ^ a b McLevy, Alex (March 23, 2018). "GBV, The Sword, and more albums to know about this week". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Henni Krogh, Aurora (March 23, 2018). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Ham, Robert (March 20, 2018). "Sunflower Bean Grow by Leaps and Bounds on Twentytwo in Blue". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Hunt, El (23 March 2018). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Adcock, Lee (March 27, 2018). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Mesure, Rob (March 21, 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Smith, Thomas (March 24, 2018). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Salmon, Ben (March 22, 2018). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  13. ^ Cohen, Ian (March 26, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Murray, Robin (January 12, 2018). "Sunflower Bean Announce New Album 'Twentytwo In Blue'". Clash. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Murray, Robin (November 3, 2017). "Sunflower Bean Share New Song 'I Was A Fool'". Clash. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  16. ^ Fu, Eddie (February 23, 2018). "Sunflower Bean unveil new single "Twentytwo"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Sunflower Bean reveal 'Human For'". DIY. March 16, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Blare Magazine. December 18, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Whatley, Jack (December 20, 2018). "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  20. ^ "GIITTV Album of the Year". God Is in the TV. December 10, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "Best Albums of the Year 2018". NME. December 17, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Paste. November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  23. ^ Smith, Thomas (May 22, 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018 So Far". NME. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  24. ^ "Best Albums of the Decade". NME. November 29, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  25. ^ "Sunflower Bean Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  26. ^ "Sunflower Bean Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.