Being Dead EELS

Just like garage rock experienced a renaissance in the late '00s, Austin duo Being Dead revitalize the genre's most notable signifiers with hardly any competition in sight. Filled with frisky self-confidence, Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy—note the absurd names—bolt through sixteen terse, inventive tracks as they dryly switch and harmonize vocals. That back-and-forth dynamic isn't just an element of their sound, it's practically essential, to the extent that it's unfathomable to imagine each performing them solo. And really, there's no point in going at it alone when you can have fun singing about the things that truly matter, whether it's the irrefutable awesomeness of Godzilla or the pains of being a rockstar, over gloriously scuzzy hooks. Speaking of the latter, not since the Byrds posed that question has a band captured the essence of that concept with such casual self-assurance. And what's better is that Being Dead succeeds at it many times over, each delivered in a deliriously captivating manner.