Generation Mixtape

On the off-chance that you’ve blindly tripped over the digital rock that this website is hiding under and are completely confused as to who this ‘Beth’ person is, allow me to explain.

I LOVE The Beths. To my ears, they are the missing link between Cheap Trick, The Pixies, and, well, any number of ‘90s power-pop bands. In fact, if you’re still foggy on the details, stop reading right now and go give the band’s latest release a proper listen.

Now, given all of the press surrounding their third album, 2022’s Expert in a Dying Field, it’s tempting to label the New Zealand-based four-piece an overnight success. Doing so, however, dismisses nearly a decade of history.

Since their formation back in 2014, The Beths have assembled an incredibly consistent body of work. Add to that a critically acclaimed 2018 debut (Future Me Hates Me) and a well-deserved reputation as a must-see live act, and you have yourself a group that is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite bands. 

And at the center of it all is singer/guitarist Elizabeth Stokes, whose candid, self-effacing lyrics and unassuming vocals elevate the band’s already super-tight playing to a whole other level. I’ll obviously go into more detail below, but Stokes is easily one of the best songwriters of her generation, a point further solidified with each new release. 

So, yeah, the band is barely five minutes old, and I’m already ranking their catalog? Yep, mostly because (as of this writing) my ‘Rank The Beths’ Google searches come up cold. But, more importantly, because the band is that freaking good. Oh, and fun, in all the right ways. That last point may seem trite, but in a world that seems hellbent on becoming, well, a hellscape, I tend to place a premium on things that actually make me feel good.

Now, per usual, before we dive into my ranking, there are a few caveats:

*Caveat Number One: I typically restrict my lists to full-length studio releases, but given the band’s understandably limited catalog, I’m also going to be reviewing The Beth’s 2020 live release (Auckland, New Zealand).

**Caveat Number Two: It should go without saying, but I’m going to say it regardless: I’m a massive fan of The Beths and consider them one of the best bands of the past decade. Any and all criticisms are subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt. 

***Caveat Number Three: I’d like to file anything that I’ve written below in the ever-so-subjective ‘prisoner of the moment’ category. If I were to repeat this process six months from now, my results would probably change.

Amid the backdrop of COVID, leave it to The Beths to swoop in and save the day. 2020 was a pretty rough year for just about everyone, and Jump Rope Gazers felt like a breath of fresh air when it dropped in July of that year. The record is good–really good. So good, in fact, that it was on constant rotation during my daily commute for months. 

So, why the last place finish, you ask? Well, for starters, when it comes to The Beths, ‘good’ is merely a starting point. Don’t get me wrong, Jump Rope Gazers is a solid listen, albeit an inconsistent one. Off the heels of their stellar debut, the band understandably sought to incorporate some new dimensions to their tight-as-nails pop-punk sound. 

From the candy-coated title track to the pair of pensive ballads (“Do You Want Me Now,” “You Are a Beam of Light”) meandering on the album’s back half, Jump Rope Gazers finds the band experimenting with a more pop-infused approach. That’s not to say the album doesn’t have its ‘rock-out’ moments (“I’m Not Getting Excited” and “Dying to Believe” immediately come to mind), but taken as a whole, Jump Rope Gazers is a far more subdued version of the band. 

That said, there’s a ton of growth here–no small feat for an album written, recorded, and released in the midst of a global pandemic. In fact, The Beths would go on to refine many of the ideas and directions explored on Jump Rope Gazers. So, in that context, Jump Rope Gazers is perhaps best viewed as a necessary transition–hey, change is good but rarely easy. 

I Want to Listen (Highlights):

Don’t let the title fool you, “I’m Not Getting Excited” is a fierce blast of irony-tinged punk that is easily among the band’s best tracks. Honorable mention goes to “Out of Sight” (that drumming!)

I’m Not Getting Excited (Lowlights):

On paper, “Mars, the God of War” is prototypical ‘Beth’s, but for some reason, the song has never really clicked with me. Still, if this is the basement, just wait until you get a look at the penthouse!

Watching the Credits (Favorite Lyric and/or Moment):

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In November 2020, the Beths concluded months of lockdown-induced isolation with a sold-out show in Auckland, New Zealand. Drawing pretty evenly from the band’s first two releases, the thirteen-song set surprisingly captures The Beths in mid-tour form. From the lock-step playing to the album-quality backing harmonies, the ‘band’ (Tristen Deck, Jonathan Pearce, Benjamin Sinclair) delivers an impressively tight performance. And for her part, Liz Stokes reminds everyone in attendance that she’s the band’s not-so-secret weapon.

While the stage-ready rockers like “I’m Not Getting Excited” and “Great No One” predictably sound great, the mid-tempo ‘hits’ (“Jump Rope Gazers,” “Future Me Hates Me”) fare just as well. In fact, the palpable energy and crystal clear mix help elevate a few of these songs to definitive status. Deep cuts like “Little Death,” “Out of Sight,” and “River Run,” in particular, benefit from the live treatment.

Liz Stokes would describe this period as “existentially bad.” A sobering statement, for sure, but one that reflects a frustration that likely resonates with many. After all, a single show hardly feels like an equitable exchange for the world tour that the band had planned in support of their sophomore release (Jump Rope Gazers). Still, The Beths played their asses off that night, something that makes this live set all the more special.

I Want to Listen (Highlights):

In addition to the band’s quirky stage banter (largely centering on birds?!?), “I’m Not Getting Excited” proves why it’s the perfect album opener, live or otherwise. Honorable mention goes to “Mars, the God of War,” a lackluster single that’s given a new lease on life here.

I’m Not Getting Excited (Lowlights):

This is tough–I mean, the band is so ‘on,’ and the set is a damn-near-perfect representation of their first two albums. Hell, I can’t even quibble with the song order. 

Watching the Credits (Favorite Lyric and/or Moment):

While we are pointing out birds, I’d like to point out that my bird is the …???? – “Birdtalk”

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I was writing for the now-defunct Soundblab when The Beths’ debut, Future Me Hates Me, dropped back in 2018. I forget who it was that penned the review, but it was a glowing assessment that caught my attention, (and one that I soon found myself agreeing with).

The genius of Future Me Hates Me is the way Stokes and Co. assembled the tracklisting. The band wastes no time getting down to business, stacking the album’s first half with a handful of stage-ready, road-tested anthems. Then, once they’ve grabbed your attention with the likes of “Great No One” and the title track, they drop a pair of heavy (as in emotional, not ‘chugga chugga’) almost-epics (“Not Running,” “Little Death”).

The bottom line: Future Me Hates Me is, pound for pound, one of the best debuts by any band ever (yes, I know who else is on the list). And as is the case with all seminal debuts, the template for everything that makes The Beths The Beths is there from the beginning. That said, it’s a template that the band would later perfect, hence this album’s second-place spot on this list.

I Want to Listen (Highlights):

“Little Death” is not only the centerpiece of this album, it’s the song that initially won me over, and remains my favorite performance from the band to date.

I’m Not Getting Excited (Lowlights):

It’s a ‘fine’ song in its own right, but “Less Than Thou” has always felt a bit unfinished, making it a somewhat underwhelming closer. 

Watching the Credits (Favorite Lyric and/or Moment):

My heart beats harder at the cage inside my chest, I die, I die a little death – “Little Death”

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While bands tend to reflexively cite their most recent work as ‘the best thing’ they’ve ever done, the claim is rarely true. But when they dropped 2022’s Expert in a Dying Field, The Beths could proudly claim they’d just released their best album yet because, well, they had. And judging by the reviews, sales, and charts, it was an opinion shared by many.

In just about every way, Expert in a Dying Field is a bold and ambitious step forward for The Beths. The album builds squarely on their previous work, but it also finds Stokes and Co. experimenting with all sorts of new sounds and textures. The result is a confident, diverse collection of songs that showcases the band’s growth on all fronts.

The album opens with the infectious title track, a catchy, upbeat song that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. The pair of singles that follow (“Knees Deep,” “Silence is Golden”) rounds out what is easily the band’s best opening salvo to date. 

From there, The Beths deliver one gem after another. The songs run the gamut, from mid-tempo ballads (“Your Side,” “2am”) to driving, amped-up anthems (“Best Left,” “Change in the Weather”). Toss in a playful left-field diversion (“I Want to Listen”) and a pair of enduring ‘deep-cuts’ (“A Passing Rain,” “I Told You That I Was Afraid”), and you have an instantly memorable record that continues to reward with repeat listens.

As of this writing, Expert in a Dying Field is, in this writer’s humble opinion, a high-water mark for The Beths. Still, I can’t help but feel like the band’s best work might still be to come.

I Want to Listen (Highlights):

So many! But if I had to go ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ “When You Know You Know” feels like a new level of songwriting for Stokes and Co. Honorable mention goes to “Silence is Golden,” which finds the band rocking harder than ever.

I’m Not Getting Excited (Lowlights):

We’re definitely into picking nits territory here, but if I had to leave something off the album, “I Want to Listen” would probably be the first track to go, if only because it feels like an afterthought.

Watching the Credits (Favorite Lyric and/or Moment):

Can we erase our history, Is it as easy as this, Plausible deniability, I swear I’ve never heard of it – “Expert in a Dying Field”