Darren Sullivan’s Bougainvillea drapes itself in a well-worn, old-school rock aesthetic, scuffed up just enough with lo-fi grit to feel urgent, raw, and alive. It’s the kind of record that doesn’t so much reach for perfection as it does for presence—you can almost hear the room, the air vibrating between the amps and the walls. Â
Opener "Part of the Flow" kicks things off with a jolt of kinetic energy, its sharp transitions and hook-laden vocals propelling it forward like a car shifting gears on a winding road. "Haunted Hills" changes the temperature, descending into a grunge-laced haze where distortion-drenched guitars and thunderous drums carve out a slow-burning intensity. Â
The album briefly time-travels back to the late ‘60s with "Grinding the Stone," a track that flirts with psychedelic undertones while maintaining an unfiltered, live-in-the-room rawness. "Out of the Black" leans further into the experimental, starting on a contemplative note before unfurling into something richer and more expansive. Â
"Feeling All Grown" carries a jam-like looseness, as if it were pulled straight from the golden age of rock’s most freewheeling sessions. "Why Must It Be So Cold?" fast-forwards a decade or two, channeling a Ramones-style punch with its no-frills three-chord attack, while "Hesitation Blues" settles into one of the album’s most infectious grooves, driven by locked-in bass and drum interplay. Â
Sullivan’s vocals shine on "Poe," but it’s closer "Mistaken Identity" that lingers the longest—its delayed vocals and swirling guitars stretching the album’s psychedelic leanings to their furthest point. Â
There’s an effortless charm to Bougainvillea, as Sullivan darts between styles without losing cohesion. It’s a record that embraces imperfection in the best way, prioritizing feel over polish, spontaneity over calculation. A rewarding listen.