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Critic Reviews
90
Austin’s Being Dead offer up a bizarre, disjointed realm that constantly shifts, sweeping you up and launching you into the most unexpected places.
1y
90
Even setting sequencing, production, and stylistic reference points aside, EELS is simply chock-full of great songs.
1y
90
On EELS, Being Dead isn’t afraid to experiment with song lengths, tempos, and moods. The album is a kaleidoscope of sounds, from playful, humorous moments to gut-punching emotional truths. This album is a rewarding journey that grows deeper with each listen.
1y
83
With deceptively lo-fi hooks and a playfully oblique approach, the Austin rock duo crafts songs that are goofy, serious, innocent, and knowing all at once.
1y
83
The Austin, Texas band remain subversive pop-rock wizards who are not only capable of writing great songs, but also willing to then keep pushing those songs into interesting, unexpected places on their second LP.
1y
80
What's better is that Being Dead succeeds at it many times over, each delivered in a deliriously captivating manner.
1y
80
As a whole, EELS may not reach the energetic frenzy of last year’s When Horses Would Run, but it more than makes up for it in the sheer breadth of shade and color Being Dead infuses into its 44-minute runtime.
1y
80
The collection is inventive yet grounded and unpretentious, a genuinely modern interpretation on the tenets of punk that still carry weight.
1y
80
Being Dead have so many ideas up their sleeves, the potentialities are endless. But perhaps on EELS, there are simply one too many ideas to ever make it their masterpiece—not that you ever imagine they were trying to achieve that just yet; right now, they’re just having fun.
1y
Suuuuch an awesome and colorful indie album!!!
Everything this band does on this project just works - there's sooo many ear-grabbing melodies, creative switch-ups, and sweet moments on this thing. The vocalists all sound great (I think there's three?), and even if the lyrics are a little bit basic sometimes, they have a lot of charm to them.
I also love how the medley-style thing they do on the second half of the tracklist with a bunch of shorter tracks doesn't come off as ... read more
Stupid pfork has to be good for something from time to time. Loving this. Super sweet, super fun, super nostalgic. Man this thing comes in hot right out the gate. Love the interplay between Falcon Bitch & Shmoofy. Yup, that is what they go by. "Where’s my goodnight kiss?" This is just what I needed, fav lofi indie thing in a long minute. Packed with gems. All their videos are super fun too!!!
Being Dead has a new fan. Take my money!
Confidently claims its own lane
There are many adjectives to describe this new record by Being Dead: Weird, unique, one of a kind. Fizzy, Lo-Fi, Murky. Fun, up-beat, whimsical. With a certain blend of indie rock, electronics and like a special genreless sauce I can't really put my finger on, Being Dead creates one of the most singular listens I had this year. I lack the vocabularly to describe this, yet the appeal should be apparent instantly to anyone listening. Loved this one.
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Track List
| 1 | Godzilla Rises 2:47 | 83 |
| 2 | Van Goes 3:33 | 84 |
| 3 | Blanket of my Bone 3:13 | 82 |
| 4 | Problems 3:41 | 80 |
| 5 | Firefighters 4:30 | 84 |
| 6 | Dragons II 2:00 | 81 |
| 7 | Nightvision 2:55 | 83 |
| 8 | Gazing at Footwear 2:17 | 74 |
| 9 | Big Bovine 2:49 | 82 |
| 10 | Storybook Bay 0:33 | 74 |
| 11 | Ballerina 1:49 | 76 |
| 12 | Rock n' Roll Hurts 2:08 | 67 |
| 13 | Love Machine 2:03 | 81 |
| 14 | I Was a Tunnel 1:00 | 77 |
| 15 | Goodnight 3:36 | 81 |
| 16 | Lilypad Lane 0:46 | 70 |
Total Length: 39 minutes
Year End Lists
| #3 | / | Gorilla vs. Bear |
| #17 | / | PopMatters |
| #23 | / | No Ripcord |
| #32 | / | Northern Transmissions |
| #38 | / | Pitchfork |
| #46 | / | Paste |
| #82 | / | Under the Radar |
| / | AllMusic | |
| / | Alternative Press | |
| / | Atwood Magazine | |
| / | Uproxx |
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