Twentytwo in Blue

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]

Twentytwo in Blue
Studio album by Sunflower Bean
Released	March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23)
Recorded	December 2016–December 2017[1]
Genre	Indie pop[2] indie rock[3]
Length	40:30
Label	Mom + Pop Music Lucky Number
Producer	Matthew Molnar Jacob Portrait
Sunflower Bean chronology
Human Ceremony (2016) Twentytwo in Blue (2018) Headful of Sugar (2022)
Singles from Twentytwo in Blue
"I Was a Fool" Released: November 3, 2017 "Crisis Fest" Released: January 12, 2018 "Twentytwo" Released: February 23, 2018 "Human For" Released: March 16, 2018

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The A.V. Club	B[5]
Clash	8/10[6]
Consequence of Sound	B[7]
DIY	[8]
Drowned in Sound	4/10[9]
MusicOMH	[10]
NME	[11]
Paste	8/10[12]
Pitchfork	6.4/10[13]

Release

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

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

Year-end lists Accolades for Twentytwo in Blue Publication Accolade Rank Blare Blare's Top 50 Albums of 2018 36[18] Far Out Far Out's Top 50 Albums of 2018 22[19] God Is in the TV God Is in the TV's 50 Albums of 2018 73[20] NME NME's Top 100 Albums of 2018 4[21] Paste Paste's Top 50 Albums of 2018 16[22]

Mid-year lists Publication Accolade Rank NME NME's Top 25 Albums of 2018 - Mid-Year 12[23]

Decade lists Publication Accolade Rank NME NME's Best Albums of the Decade 50[24]

Track listing

Twentytwo in Blue track listing

No.	Title	Length
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

Chart performance for Twentytwo in Blue

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[25]	16
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26]	5

Personnel

Musicians Julia Cumming – lead vocals, bass Nick Kivlen – guitar Olive Faber – drums

Production Joe LaPorta – mastering Jarvis Taveniere – engineer Matthew Molnar – producer Jacob Portrait – mixing, producer Rachel Cabitt – layout

Release history

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