Beach Bunny

How do you cope when the world shuts down? At the start of the pandemic, most of us had to contend with life-altering changes that severely impacted our day-to-day lives, not to mention our taken-for-granted ability to move around freely. As lockdown approached in 2020, Beach Bunny's Lili Trifilio was wrapping up a tour in support of the band's critically acclaimed debut album, Honeymoon, and found herself back at her parents' house in Chicago. While there, she coped with her new reality by retreating 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.

Written immediately prior to and during the pandemic and produced by pop-punk go-to Sean O'Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack) at Shirk Studios, Emotional Creature captures the myriad highs and lows the last couple of years have brought out in all of us. At the same time, Emotional Creature is also very much about quarter-life personal growth, with Trifilio calling it "a collection of, of different emotional experiences."

Emotional Creature looks at Trifilio approaching a crossroads. As the band toured their 2018 EP Prom Queen and its follow-up breakout debut LP Honeymoon, critics and fans were instantly drawn to the band's magnetic energy and unguarded ability to tackle the most sensitive matters of the heart. This anomalous combination resulted in a huge amount of critical and commercial acclaim; the band has garnered over a billion streams across their entire discography and sold 60,000 tickets since the beginning of lockdown, not to mention getting three consecutive singles on the Alternative radio chart, with "Cloud 9" cracking the top 25 and going RIAA-certified Gold, their second Gold single since "Prom Queen." Long-established artists also took notice, with Beach Bunny collaborating with Tegan and Sara on a reimagined version of "Cloud 9" and MARINA on "I Love You But I Love Me More" in 2021. Now, as the world heals from two pandemic years, Beach Bunny are back and building on their trademark guitar-pop sound with 12 brand-new songs.

Across their sophomore release, Emotional Creature looks at the highs and lows of new relationships, the joys and vulnerabilities of letting someone in your heart, the gut-wrenching realities of experiencing anxiety, leaving toxic relationships, and seeing yourself through the eyes of the one you love. Across the entire album, 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."

Initially, Beach Bunny planned to release the album cut "Weeds" as a one-off single, but ultimately it evolved into the blueprint for Emotional Creature. As Trifilio healed from an old relationship, "Weeds" looks at her growth from "breakup energy" to a place of "self-empowerment and reflection."

"['Weeds'] felt like I was taking ownership of my emotions instead of letting my emotions drive me into despair," she explains.

When honing the monumental sound on Emotional Creature, O'Keefe encouraged Trifilio to take the creative reins more than she ever had before, resulting in a bigger-is-better tonality. "He was like, 'Add as much as you want. I'm not gonna tell you no to anything.' That felt really empowering, that I had space to do that." Meanwhile, the buoyant "Fire Escape" and jangling "Karaoke" cherry pick small but meaningful moments in a blooming relationship, illustrating Trifilio's experiences on the New York City subway and driving around with a new love singing songs they loved as kids.

The album's highest highs are most evident on the bouncing lead single "Oxygen," which bursts with excitement at having found new love. Over propulsive percussion, Trifilio's vocals soar as she declares, "Suddenly everything is easy/ I've never felt something so deeply/ 'Cause with you, with you, I breathe again." Opening up about "Oxygen," Trifilio explains that "I really wanted the verses to have an anxious energy. The lyrics are reflecting on self-doubt and confusion. Then the chorus [has] these big explosive revelations where I'm [realizing] that everything is OK." She adds: "I feel like our brains can operate that way a lot, when you get into cycles of overthinking. It's a song that definitely reflects a lot of that."

From a sonic standpoint, Emotional Creature draws major inspiration from Y2K pop. On album opener "Entropy," Trifilio channeled the Jonas Brothers and similar artists from her formative years, contrasting relaxed guitars with a grandiose chorus.

Later, on the pensive, minor-key "Eventually," Trifilio outlines the experience of having a panic attack — something she admits she had never experienced prior to the pandemic — and accepting help from good friends. "The last couple years have been globally traumatic," she says. "The lyrics are talking about those overwhelming feelings of panic coming out. If you suppress your anxiety, it's only gonna come out bigger." She continues: "The latter half of the song was about leaning on friends and loved ones in those moments, and that people can help you through the tough times. You don't have to do everything alone."

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.

Beach Bunny is:
Lili Trifilio
Anthony Vaccaro
Jon Alvarado

• • •

Short Bio

As 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.

Beach Bunny is:
Lili Trifilio
Anthony Vaccaro
Jon Alvarado