Beach Bunny Emotional Creature LP (Orange & Yellow Marbled Vinyl)

As COVID-19 lockdown approached in 2020, Chicago-based singer Lili Trifilio was wrapping up a tour in support of Beach Bunny's debut album, Honeymoon. Suddenly, she found herself back at her parents' house, coping with her new reality. To deal, she retreated into sci-fi stories and her always-active imagination. She envisioned new places to travel in her mind, thus dreaming up big, bombastic pop sounds to construct Beach Bunny's highly anticipated sophomore album, Emotional Creature.

Simultaneously about personal growth, Emotional Creature is a collection of highly relatable songs that capture the highs and lows of new relationships, the joys and vulnerabilities of letting someone in, the gut-wrenching realities of experiencing anxiety, leaving toxic relationships, and seeing yourself through the eyes of the one you love. These complex feelings are expertly contrasted with ultra-poppy melodies, anthemic choruses, and a slight punk edge.

"The songs have grown with me over time," Trifilio explains. "Some of them were written in various stages of life, and I think as we go through different experiences and hardships, you come out stronger. I've grown as a person, so the songwriting reflects that."

With its openhearted, vulnerable themes and progressive, hook-filled take on pop rock and pop punk, Emotional Creature only further cements Beach Bunny and Trifilio's well-earned reputation as a leading voice of their generation.

'Fire Escape' is Beach Bunny at their hooky, heart-stirring best, their confident performances as accessible as Trifilio's songwriting is emotionally challenging and evocative.

There are songs that revolve around banks of synthesizers, loads of sweet vocal harmonies, dance-punk interludes, and tempos that creep up on being gentle. That being said, the band and producer Sean O'Keefe - who had worked previously with Fall Out Boy - retain more than enough of the energy, emotion, and heartbreak of the past, while also making sure to keep enough guitar crunch and zippy dynamics to stop anyone from slipping away. At the core are the songs and vocals of Trifilio, and she came through with some beautiful words and melodies, sung in an eternally hopeful, always true fashion that is sure to resonate Mariana Trench-deep with anyone who ever felt lost or lonely....Emotional Creature is a big step forward for the band.