Eels is the second studio album by American rock band Being Dead. It was released on September 27, 2024, through Bayonet Records. Arriving over a year after their debut studio album When Horses Would Run, the album was met with universal acclaim from critics.

Eels
Studio album by
Being Dead
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2024 (2024-09-27)
GenreGarage rock[1]
Length39:40
LabelBayonet
ProducerJohn Congleton
Being Dead chronology
When Horses Would Run
(2023)
Eels
(2024)

Background

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The trio, consisting of Juli Keller, Cody Dosier and Nicole Roman-Johnston, was formed in Austin, Texas and released their studio debut on July 14, 2023, entitled When Horses Would Run.[2] Their follow-up record Eels was produced by John Congleton, who previously worked with the likes of St. Vincent, Mannequin Pussy and Explosions in the Sky.[3] On the album, Being Dead explores themes, including "anxiety about self-worth", days wasted and the void after a "fleeting relief of hedonistic release".[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[5]
Metacritic89/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Far Out     [1]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[8]
Paste8.3/10[2]
Pitchfork8.3/10[3]

Eels received a score of 89 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] Daniel Felsenthal of Pitchfork awarded the album the accolade "Best New Music", saying that albeit their music seems "bare-bones", it includes a variety of "unexpected" instruments, such as "Mellotron, banjo, Casio drums". Felsenthal thought a recurring theme throughout the record was "motion" as it is "constantly changing" and "speeding along". They concluded that the trio remakes "the future in the image of the past".[3]

Handing out the same score in a review for Paste, Ben Salmon praised not only their ability of "writing great songs" but to push their music into "interesting, unexpected places". Salmon calls Eels a compilation of "sharp zig-zags and even sharper hooks" and drew comparisons to artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Animal Collective, That Dog. and the Beach Boys.[2] Lloyd Bolton at The Line of Best Fit called Eels "good chaos" with an overflow of "ideas" that alternate between "short-form experiments" and "more developed songs" that keeps piquing the listener's interest.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Being Dead

Eels track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Godzilla Rises"2:47
2."Van Goes"3:33
3."Blanket of My Bone"3:13
4."Problems"3:41
5."Firefighters"4:30
6."Dragons II"2:00
7."Nightvision"2:55
8."Gazing at Footwear"2:17
9."Big Bovine"2:49
10."Storybook Bay"0:33
11."Ballerina"1:49
12."Rock n' Roll Hurts"2:08
13."Love Machine"2:03
14."I Was a Tunnel"1:00
15."Goodnight"3:36
16."Lilypad Lane"0:46
Total length:39:40

References

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  1. ^ a b Taylor, Tom (September 26, 2024). "Being Dead – Eels album review: a classic on too much caffeine". Far Out. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Salmon, Ben (September 27, 2024). "Album Review: Eels – Being Dead". Paste. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Felsenthal, Daniel (October 3, 2024). "Being Dead: Eels Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Ray, Scott (September 26, 2024). "The Truth About Being Dead". Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "Eels by Being Dead Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Eels by Being Dead Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Eels Review by Marcy Donelson". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Bolton, Lloyd (September 26, 2024). "Being Dead become chaotic good on Eels". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 6, 2024.