Meaty postpunk trio Beings was a South Florida rock crew that transcended the microgenres — hardcore, No Wave, metal, shoegaze, rock 'n' roll — that influenced its high-energy, pogo-friendly anthems.
So when Beings broke up unexpectedly in May, punks, metalheads, and art-damaged fans were all shocked. But percussionist and visual artist Beatriz Monteavaro was quick to unleash her latest musical project, Holly Hunt. Monteavaro was the original drummer for seminal stoner-sludge band Floor, and she invokes — alongside partner and fellow visual artist Gavin Perry — that same legacy of brutality with her new two-piece drone-metal project.
Former Beings members Mike Alen and Ivan Marchena, meanwhile, have been keeping a notably lower profile. But on the heels of releasing a posthumous Beings seven-inch single, "Social Creep," on Discosoma Records, New Times shot Alen and Marchena some questions about the new record and the potential for future releases from this short-lived, much-loved band.
New Times: Were these songs recorded along with the material that was on Beings' full-length album?
Ivan Marchena: These songs were written right after we finished recording the first album. We fleshed them out on tour with Torche and then recorded them a week or so after getting back.
Do these songs stand distinct from the rest of your catalogue, or are they all a part of the same larger suite of music?
Marchena: They were written with the momentum from the first batch of songs. We recorded the songs with a seven-inch release in mind. We wrote a few more songs after that set, but we didn't get around to recording them beyond what we have on practice MP3s.
Mike Alen: It's a document of a different stage for us. We got to play out a lot before this recording and had time to rework some of the songs. "Crowd Clones" ended up becoming a different version live than it is on the record.
Are there more Beings records to be released at a future date?
Marchena: I don't think so. This is going to be our final release for now.
Alen: This is all we have recorded.
Score a limited-edition copy of Beings' posthumous seven-inch single, "Social Creep," via discosomarecords.tumblr.com.