Being Dead – ‘When Horses Would Run’ album review: a joyously fun debut

Name: When Horses Would Run - Being Dead
Rating: 4

Aimee Ferrier

Fri 14 July 2023 9:19, UK

'When Horses Would Run' - Being Dead

Don’t be fooled by the name – Being Dead‘s music is full of energy, and their debut album, When Horses Would Run, celebrates everything life has to offer, particularly the enduring power of friendship.

Hailing from Texas, the three-piece have honed a distinctively rough-around-the-edges sound echoing influences from garage rock and surf punk to chaotic free jazz. According to Falcon Bitch, “Our music is really a slice of our friendship. We’ve lived together, and we’re always together, and I feel like it’s a palpable thing.”

She also states, “This is definitely a collection of songs from different versions of ourselves,” with the roots of When Horses Would Run dating back to 2017. Subsequently, Being Dead have created a record seeped in nostalgia, with the slightly lo-fi sound of the guitars and vocals mirroring the album’s existence as an encapsulation of the past six years.

Despite the variation in tone, with some songs sounding distinctively more upbeat than others, the record retains a cohesive feel as Falcon Bitch and Gumball’s voices weave between each other to the sound of western-inspired guitars. Opening the album is ‘The Great American Picnic’, which has an innately 1960s-sounding quality. It’s the kind of song you’d imagine soundtracking a horse ride through a vast American landscape, with the members’ contrasting male and female voices giving the track an added layer of interest.

This driving quality continues onto ‘Last Living Buffalo’, reflected in the lyrical repeats of “Onwards/ Buffalo”. The track is an animal’s rights plea, with the song breaking down into an angry thrash of drums as Falcon Bitch sings, “You killed them,” which comes shortly after the lines “Fur for fashion.”

One of the album’s highlights is the single ‘Muriel’s Big Day Off’, which features cutesy vocals and surf-esque “Ohh ohh” refrains that you can’t help but love. Lyrically, the song highlights the band’s fervour for life and connection, with the lines “Muriel is keen to know that life begins when you let go”, reflecting the lack of inhibition at the heart of the record.

While the album is certainly carefully composed, it’s clear that the band haven’t restricted themselves from exploring their weirder, experimental impulses. Gumball allows his voice to contort with an unrefined sensibility on some tracks, giving the songs extra charm.

For example, on ‘We Are Being Dead’, in which Falcon Bitch and Gumball sing the title in unison, the band allow themselves to indulge in playfulness, with a stilted guitar riff playing out with the same technicality as an unmusical child. It’s an amusing moment contrasted by the band’s obvious musical talent elsewhere, highlighting their alluringly carefree nature.

The album is a fun listen, brimming with energetic riffs and passionate DIY garage-rock sensibilities that you can’t help but move around to, with tracks such as ‘Come On’ surely inspiring even the most reluctant dancer to shake their hips to the infectious zig-zagging riffs.

However, Being Dead also provide moments of deeper musical contemplation, with tracks like ‘Misery Lane’ offering a moodier moment. With the use of riffs that sound straight out of a Western movie, the album feels distinctively American, yet it possesses a sense of universality in its witty lyricism. With clear influences coming in from ’60s surf rock, ’90s slacker indie and 2010s lo-fi garage, Being Dead have crafted a timeless collection that feels incredibly authentic, suggesting that when making music, sometimes the best thing you can do is simply have fun.