Sunflower Bean, a Brooklyn trio, veer from chilled-out West-coast psych pop to scuzzy rock ‘n’ roll on their first full length LP, Human Ceremony. They call themselves neo-psychedelic but they are much more than this, possessing elements of British psych, frantic New York punk and even a smattering of CGBG-era new wave.

The songs on Human Ceremony remain infectious without losing their originality which is partly due to the interplay of Nick Kivlen and Julia Cummings’s vocals, not dissimilar to the one between Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine. Indeed, you might consider Sunflower Bean a little bit like My Bloody Valentine without the fuzz and reverb. The best songs on this album are unpredictable and introduce new elements without warning. For instance, the track ‘2013’ begins as a Diiv-esque psych number but then towards the end transforms into a snarling wig-out that could have come off Led Zeppelin IV. ‘Creation Myth’ enters demurely, a clean guitar line overlaid with Cummings’s modern day Debbie Harry vocals, but then about three quarters of the way in, some lead-heavy Swans meet Sunn O))) guitars crunch in and build to a squalling crescendo before tailing away completely to allow Kivlet’s slinking guitar melody and Jacob Faber’s drums to re-enter.

The stand-out track on Human Ceremony is definitely ‘Wall Watcher’. Like Debbie Harry fronting The Ramones, it’s a perfect example of what Sunflower Bean do best: punky pysch. Although none of the other tracks are this frantic or heavy, ‘Wall Watcher’ fits in seamlessly with the other less aggressive numbers. Although there are moments when the chorus-saturated washy guitars get a bit tiresome, Faber’s excellent drumming (think Klaus Dinger meets a drum machine) and occasional bursts of frenzied sonic aggression keep this in check. Human Ceremony provides a great foundation for Sunflower Bean to change and evolve from and leaves you optimistic about the trio’s future.

Will Ainsley