[2] Allmusic dubbed the group "the quintessential indie rock band,"[3] and Tiny Mix Tapes gave their final album Transaction de Novo a perfect 5/5 score.
[1] The roots of the band trace back to brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane playing music together as children in Wichita Falls, Texas.
WhatFunLifeWas is a modest album; slow indie rock with a hint of the epic, that draws upon its broodiness to create a serenely personal atmosphere.
"[7] Allmusic noted the band's careful use of both loud and soft dynamics, stating "The various comparisons to the Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and Spacemen 3 all make a certain sense, but...Bedhead have much more of an individual sensibility...rather than simply rehashing.
[1] Beheaded received 4/5 stars from Allmusic,[9] with a positive review stating, "at the heart of the band is an indie rock sound that can be traced back to the most pleasant material of the Velvet Underground.
A trio of guitars lays down unexceptional, strummed accompaniments; vocalists employ a reserved sing-speak; the drummer maintains a lazy pulse.
[10][11] Transaction de Novo received 4.5/5 stars from Allmusic,[3] with a positive review stating "It's hard to imagine the group perfecting this sound much further.
While still playing with The New Year, Bubba and Matt Kadane formed Overseas in 2012 with David Bazan of Pedro The Lion and Will Johnson of Centro-matic.
Abandoning the guitar-and-song format for electroacoustic soundscapes, the albums Injection (2019), The Dark Surround (2021) and Lifespan (2023) nevertheless employ the same distinctive, inimitable style and contrasting, stereophonic instrumental textures found in Bedhead and The New Year.
[14][15][16] In 2024, Bedhead's rhythm section, Trini Martinez and Kris Wheate, came out as part of the long-in-the-making The Destructors Club, a project that also includes a.o.
This was the quintessential indie rock band because it delivered some of the best the genre is capable of: workaday vocals that actually work, gorgeous melodies (though uncommercial, this music doesn't have to be indigestible), and dynamics that could crush the listener.