Beeef have cooked up something special. The self-described “Boston/Brooklyn band” have been quietly working behind the scenes since their 2019 sophomore record Bull in the Shade, but now are firmly back in the game — after November’s crisp and creased “Nice Clean Shirt,” they released their latest single, “Observational Eros,” this past Friday (February 23).
Just a touch grittier than previous Beeef tracks, “Observational Eros” grapples with consciousness, a near-existential ditty fit for a philosophy seminar with a sound straight out of DIY basements. Summery and loose, the textured instrumentals and Gibbard-esque vocal delivery by Perry Eaton make lines such as “But when the presence of birdsong finally makes you pause / And it feels like a privilege / To be one with a sense of harmony” sound effortless — which is mind-blowing, given they could put Wordsworth to shame.
Back in January, the band posted on Instagram proclaiming that “A big year for Beeef (we’re calling it now) begins on Saturday, January 27,” in reference to a Brooklyn single release show; if “Observational Eros” is any portent for the album to come, 2024 may turn out to be the biggest, Beeef-iest year yet.