It’s been a hot sec since we last heard from Melbourne surf-psych trio The Eyeballers. Their previous release, the ’Lost at Sea’ and ‘It Wasn’t Over’ double single, dates back to October 2020, two tracks that more than lived it up their titles as they showcased the group’s affinity for chaotic garage-rock grooves tied with an unstoppable surf swagger. But now, just under two years on, they’re back with ’Safety Coffin’; a potential first hint of where their forthcoming debut album might be headed, as the band expand on their sound to reveal perhaps their most adventurous and assured offering yet.

While most of their previous releases caught The Eyeballers sounding invigorated and restless, ‘Safety Coffin’ slows things down to evoke a far more sinister atmosphere. Led by an uneasy guitar lead and anchored by a sturdy rhythm section, the track unravels mysteriously - each member’s performance feels especially menacing thanks to the unhurried delivery, while Nick Hasting’s sedated vocals loom enigmatically over the sprawling instrumentation. That’s not to say ‘Safety Coffin’ lacks the freneticism that made their previous music so exhilarating though; throughout the track, drum rolls spiral off at a whirlwind pace and the lead lines are similarly sharp, which means that when the band finally do kick things up a notch at the song’s end, it’s not only a satisfying conclusion but a power-surge that leaves us electrified and ready for more.

Speaking about the track, the band share “This song is written about people in the olden days who had been wrongly declared as dead and put in an early grave. They discovered this horrific fate when uncovering a previously buried coffin which mysteriously had scratch marks on the inside. From this moment on the thought of burying people alive inspired the development of the safety coffin, fitted with a bell that could be triggered from beneath the ground. The old man told me about this when someone mentioned the phrase ‘dead ringer’, which may have originated from the use of safety coffins (along with ‘saved by the bell’). We had a spooky sounding song with no lyrics so when I heard the story, it seemed like the perfect fit.”