Raucous blasts of guitar, imaginative lyricism and fiery musicianship are the key elements that comprise Being Dead. The name is the home of the Austin, Texas-based duo of best friends Falcon Bitch and Smoofy, who know how to make lively and unpredictably hook-heavy records. They first made waves with their 2023 debut, When Horses Would Run, which similarly bore the aforementioned chaotic facets that give Being Dead their identity. That album is in parts folky, Americana-y and a bit B-52’s-y; it contains violent whiplashing from soft, brooding strumming to pummelling, rough sonics. On their new follow-up, EELS, they serve more of the same—but it’s still so addictive.

What distinguishes EELS from their previous effort is the rate at which these songs were born. When Horses Would Run is said to have taken years to release, due to touring commitments and meticulous studio recording. Conversely, this collection, more immediate than its predecessor, came about in just a couple weeks with the help of Grammy-winning producer John Congleton (Angel Olson, Alvvays, Xiu Xiu). Additionally, the duo enlisted bassist Ricky Motto for their live act, who finally appears in the studio on this record. The urgency in working hard with these new faces in order to birth a series of vivacious and punk-adjacent songs can be heard in the high-octane energy that powers them. In other words, they’ve succeeded at throwing everything they’ve got at the wall.

EELS opens with a bold, speedy one-two punch. ‘Godzilla Rises’ is a surreal indie surf banger conflating ideas of lost love and caressing Godzilla, whereas the rigid post-punk groove of ‘Van Goes’ makes the struggle of working explored lyrically all the more hard-hitting. Once again, the musicianship is as kooky as The B-52’s in their infancy, but the words are uncanny, satirically poking fun at reality as an in-joke.

Being Dead’s complete breadth is on display when they enter softened territory: ‘Dragons II’ is an acoustic fairytale-themed ditty about failing to be the “Prince Charming in Rapunzel’s world”, perhaps alluding to failed romance. The ballad itself is pulled from the new record’s scratchy demo recordings. Meanwhile, ‘Gazing at Footwear’ pleasingly flushes the ears with its conclusively cacophonic shoegaze leanings.

Above all else is the standout single ‘Goodnight’, flip-flopping between a ruminative lullaby about begging for love, a sing-songy mantra shouting “Goodnight”, and discordant noise rock explosions, all in the span of a brief three and a half minutes. This tonal traversal encapsulates Being Dead’s colourful musicianship—while it is heard across the whole album, to hear it so excellently distilled within a single song is a testament to the group’s knack of keeping their listeners on their feet. For the indie rock enthusiast, if endless variety is your bread and butter, Being Dead will surely have you satisfied with EELS. The now-trio are certainly going to keep on delivering endearing surprises.

EELS is available to listen to now on all major music platforms.