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Beach Bunny is in their intergalactic era. The band, fronted by Lili Trifilio, appeared at Brooklyn Steel for two headlining concerts. Here’s our review of Beach Bunny’s performance and their 2022 release, Emotional Creature.

Beach Bunny released ‘Emotional Creature’ in 2022 — our review

Lili Trifilio of Beach Bunny does a sound check before playing a live show at Lincoln Hall '
Lili Trifilio of Beach Bunny does a sound check before playing a live show at Lincoln Hall ‘ | Scott Olson/Getty Images

You don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to enjoy Beach Bunny’s latest release. The band debuted the “out of this world” album, Emotional Creature, in 2022. (Even the music videos for “Weeds,” “Entropy,” “Karaoke,” and “Fire Escape” poses the band as intergalactic rebels.)

Emotional Creature is, at its center, an album about allowing oneself to feel the full spectrum of human emotions, to let go of the shame associated with having big feelings, and to be more kind to yourself,” Trifilio said in a statement. 

“We are all humans enduring a lifetime of experiences – I wanted this album to be authentically vulnerable and not only cover topics that cause big emotions to arise,” she continued, “but to address the shame that many, including myself, carry with respect to what we choose to express as acceptable emotions and what emotions are deemed inappropriate.”

The artist showcases her growing pains in “Karaoke.” Trifilio finally lets it all go with “Scream,” leaning into elements of pop punk. With the self-referential track “Love Song,” Trifilio ties together feelings of anxiety, growth, shame, and confusion with one thread of commonality: love.

The album is an honest portrayal of teenage angst — but even that belittles the feelings perfectly communicated by this musician. It’s a 1990s beach trip meets a trip to cosmic space. And it totally rocks.

Beach Bunny performed at New York’s Brooklyn Steel

As noted by Sidney Gish, a Beach Bunny hopped its way to New York. The performance was initially scheduled for May 2022, but after a “COVID outbreak in their tour bubble,” Beach Bunny pushed back their two-night appearance at Brooklyn Steel. 

On Aug. 6, they finally hit the stage to perform fan-favorite releases and new songs off Emotional Creature. What is a Beach Bunny concert like? Plenty of moshing and making up for lost time. 

“Are you having fun? I feel, like, super overstimulated, but that’s ok,” Trifilio said while tuning her guitar. “Could you guys keep dancing? If I look unhappy, I’m happy on the inside. I’m just really hot and feel crazy right now.”

Opening with a spaceship-esque bright white light, Beach Bunny entered their cosmic era with a big bang. Despite having a migraine (which was “not the vibe”), Trifilio commanded the stage, only pausing to snag two pairs of sunglasses from the audience (the first ones, she explained, weren’t strong enough). 

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Beach Bunny is currently on tour with openers Sidney Gish and Ky Voss

To celebrate the release of Emotional Creature, Beach Bunny is hosting several concerts throughout North America and Europe. They will also appear at Colombus, Ohio’s WonderBus Music and Arts Festival.

This tour comes hot on the heels of Beach Bunny’s appearance at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound and Lollapalooza Chicago. To learn more about upcoming performances, visit Beach Bunny’s website.