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]
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]
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]
Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]