by Whereas The Beths have a solid track record that’s commensurate with how long they’ve been around, their joint character makes it even easier to develop a fondness for them.
Named after lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Elizabeth Stokes, the band is just a little over a decade old. The product of four jazz students ending up in the same class at the University of Auckland, they have since released four studio albums to critical acclaim, beginning in 2018.
Sure, there’s nothing groundbreaking about their sound. In fact, there’s no shortage of indie rock acts of that exact breed. Yet, their childlike maturity has allowed them to develop a vibrant and colourful brand that sets them apart in an otherwise crowded space. A cartoonish innocence encircles the material, even when it’s about grown-up experiences, emotions and circumstances. Similar to Steve Burns of Blue’s Clues starting a TikTok channel for adults, there’s a warmth to The Beths that’s disarming and reassuring.
Prior to the release of their fourth studio album, Straight Line Was a Lie, I had the pleasure of speaking to Stokes about the new project. During our chat, she explained that artist Lily West came up with several ideas for the cover art, but the band felt most drawn to the imagery of wonky clocks because it felt “fun and silly”.
This was fascinating to hear, because there’s quite a serious and profound side to The Beths as well, yet they don’t allow it to define them. For example, ‘Mother Pray For Me’ is arguably one of the prettiest and most moving songs on the album. At the same time, it’s not exactly a joyous tune — contrarily, it has the power to choke you up and maybe even squeeze out a tear or two out of its listeners.
“I could barely write ‘Mother, Pray For Me’ because I was crying the whole time, even when I was recording the demo,” she said. “There are some things that I just haven’t looked at too closely because they’re just difficult to look at. Everybody’s got parents, and the way you feel about them is so complicated because in some ways, you owe them everything. With intense love comes intense complexity, which is covered a lot in song when it comes to romantic relationships.”
She added, “As for my mum in particular, there is a gulf of understanding between us because we just grew up in such different environments — she grew up in Indonesia with not a lot of money, and we moved to New Zealand when I was four. Like a lot of immigrants, it’s not just my relationship with her but also with this culture that I kind of come from but am not that closely connected to. There’s also her relationship to her faith, which is very important, as well as her relationship to her mother, whom I’ve never met. The song goes deep into a lot of stuff that I struggle to talk or even think about, so it was hard to write, and it’s weird that it even exists.”
There are countless ways to measure decency, but adults being open about loving their mums is perhaps one of the clearest indicators. Though ‘Mother Pray For Me’ is just one song, it speaks broadly to the overall allure of The Beths, who switch back to punky and melodic noise just as seamlessly as they transition out of it. Through it all, the atmosphere they create stays optimistic and refreshingly goddamn uplifting.
When they passed through Los Angeles to launch Straight Line Was a Lie in late August, I was lucky enough to watch them play the entire album at the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. For context, said venue is the oldest functioning puppet theatre in the United States, and yes, actual puppets (with human support, of course) were prancing around throughout the sprightly performance.
Peppered between the live renditions of their latest music was the unisex and less aggressive alternative to laddish banter by Stokes and bandmates Jonathan Pearce, Benjamin Sinclair and Tristan Deck. Being in a room with the four of them felt like we were all friends, amused by how entertaining dolls can be even for grown-ups. This was actually such a relief, because it also meant momentarily shedding the full-time sobriety of adulthood.
How could you not love those who create a space for you to feel that way?
