Nod To New Zealand ~ The Beths Are A Cool Auckland Quartet 23Oct22

I've been listening to the "alternative/indie" band The Beths for several years but Kala's & my recently laid plans to visit New Zealand soon, for our first time, warrants a call-out. The Beths are an Auckland band with shifting beat-keepers but constant leads. They recently dropped "Expert In A Dying Field" and the TITLE TRACK is a hoot (it's an official vid, but worthy, so I had to do it). Yeah, an album cover with a big fish, so that may be relevant. For emblematic rock & roll on the disc, try HEAD IN THE CLOUDS. The entire album is worth a listen ~ click through the cover for the full playlist.

I no doubt know of them due to their full backing by NZ's art support schemes... which enables them to produce and publish plenty of keen stuff on YouTube and elsewhere. The lead kids, Elizabeth Stoke is lead vocals, rhythm & writer, and Jonathan Pearce is lead guitar & producer, met in HS and collaborated @ jazz school @ University of Auckland and formed The Beths in 2014 and dropped the 1st EP in 2016. I caught the song of summer Happy Unhappy/KEXP (or Happy Unhappy/Lincoln) in 2018  which got them on my radar ~ but the latest sounds are top notch IMO. Formative title tracks always seem good, as on Future Me Hates Me/ KEXP.

Anyway. I tried to book The Beths while Kala & I were gonna be in Auckland this December; dang, they are touring the US ~ isn't that the way it goes. Notable is vocal arranging which very often featured 4 part harmonies ~ yeah,  Liz is all that with breaks, but they don't stop there ever. I was offered to book a show in March 2023 at Summit Music Hall of all places, I will have to think long and hard about that booking given my recent experience there. Still NZ is an other-worldy place and we are excited to get there ~ it's evident from The Beths earliest vids like Lying In The Sun.

If you are hoping for the live aspects of this band's power pop catalog, I've added it here...

• The Beths @ RNZ Live Sessions Sep18 - A Little Death
  
• The Beths @ FU Mar19 - Running Away
  
• The Beths @ Pickathon Aug19 - Idea-Intent
  
• The Beths @ Paste Austin (freaky acoustic stripped down show) Mar19 - Happy Unhappy
  
• The Beths @ RNZ Music Jul20 - Out of Sight
• The Beths @ Amoeba Oct20 - Mars, The God Of War
  
• The Beths @ AMA Nov20 - I’m Not Getting Excited