Album Walkthrough: Dive into Flower Drums' lush debut album Sunshine Terror Babies

Originally hailing from Perth, Flower Drums are a duo we've had our eyes on for years now; from their early days multiple years ago as a four-piece group to this week, when the now-Melbourne-based pairing finally release their long-awaited and incredibly named debut album, Sunshine Terror Babies. Sunshine Terror Babies is an incredible, genre-bending record that brings together the realms of electronic, pop and indie through lush production and touching songwriting, with Flower Drums bringing together everything we've come to love from their extensive and winding career into one focused release that is direct and confident in its tone and message. The album, according to Flower Drums, focusses on the fragility and idiosyncrasies of growing up in contemporary society, from the somewhat comforting isolation of your bedroom to the endless late nights spent wandering.

Ahead of the album's official album launch on February 17 with Aeora – one of our acts-to-watch in 2018 – and bubbling underground act Freya (more info HERE), the pairing have further broken down the themes of their debut album in a track-by-track walkthrough, which also explores how several of the songs were created and evolved over the relentless months spent writing, recording and finishing Sunshine Terror Babies. Dive into it below:

Night Swims

"I was lost for a while in a supermarket aisle, and I thought, while in line, what the hell am I even doing here?" Night Swims is a personal portrayal about trying to reclaim one's identity in a new and unfamiliar city.

Back To Earth (feat. Ash Hendriks)

This is a collaboration with Sydney based artist; Ash Hendriks. We used Hendriks vocals as the central basis to build on and write the music for this song. This was an entirely new and foreign way of working for us and something we feel would be almost impossible to replicate as it seemed to evolve organically on its own.

With You

[With You] is intentionally drenched in nostalgia and emotion, it’s like a song from that coming of age movie you can't remember the name of, played by the band you're not sure even exists.

Playing Games

This track was recorded just a couple of weeks before the album was sent to mastering. Aden and I were in different cities during this time and had no intention of writing new material. Playing Games almost seems like a self-assuring voice from the subconscious reminding us that “life goes on” after the post-album comedown.

Up

For this track, Aden and I wanted to capture a fleeting moment; when something transports you somewhere else for a mere second and just as quickly slaps you back into reality. From the perspective of someone else it’s nothing but an ordinary social setting, but to the individual, this moment is profoundly important. “In the corner of the room is the reason you’re here, you pretend that it’s not but know that it is, take a sip from a cup, why would you stop? checking my phone nobodies home”.

Knife Falls

“When the knife falls it’s written all over their faces, when the cruel world takes another part of you” The new season of Twin Peaks definitely inspired this song, we were watching it at the time and I remember visualising scenes as we were playing the chords. A lot of our music is intentionally cinematic but this song, in particular, was written with that in mind.

Low Boy (revisited)

This song was previously featured on our Lost Ones EP and recorded in Perth in 2015. This is a piece of music that has always evoked a strange sense of mystery, we barely remember writing it and still don’t know the meaning behind it.

No Guarantees

“I can’t help but wonder how you’re going.” This song is a mash-up of multiple narratives and ideas, one of those being; the curiosity and absurdity of knowing what someone from your past is doing because of social media and the impact that has on our collective psyches.

Rainbow Dance Forever

This song is an ode to one of our first singles Birthday Girl and one of our favourites from the album. Rainbow Dance Forever is a bittersweet ballad that reflects on days past and finally being at peace with yourself.

Bottled Water

“Everywhere we go I feel like an alien standing in a crowded room, we’ll drown in bottled water as the comfort zone slowly pulls us under” This song was originally recorded in 2014 and remixed last year, Bottled Water is about my fear of ‘the comfort zone’ and how conscious I am to avoid getting complacent and too deep.

XIIIV

This song, also written in 2014 is another one of the tracks that remains somewhat of a mystery to us, it’s almost as though someone else wrote it. These sessions were particularly hazy and this track perfectly captures that period, so it seemed very fitting to end the album on that note.

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