Sunflower Bean – Julia Cumming

“I remember meeting [guitarist] Nick [Kivlen] outside a bar that we couldn’t get into because we were probably 17,” says Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming, reflecting on the New York City indie rock trio’s early days. “He said, ‘I’m starting a band called Sunflower Bean, and I had this gut feeling, like, ‘Oh sh*t, I’m gonna join that band, aren’t I? And it became my life.” In a conversation recorded during the lead-up to Sunflower Bean’s excellent new album Headful of Sugar (out May 6), Cumming talks about important musical moments from her childhood — four years old, wanting to play in “The Beatles 2”; harmonizing with her dad to the car radio; making a shrine in her bedroom to The Beach Boys’ Smile — and how they shaped her as an artist. She also discusses her first band, Supercute!, how Sunflower Bean has evolved since their 2016 debut album, and why Headful of Sugar is her proudest accomplishment yet.