The Beths
Expert In A Dying Field is the The Beths’ brilliantly crafted third album; a culmination of the noisy, cerebral indie-rock-meets-power pop of their first two records, imbued with an electric shock of new confidence.
Ahead of today’s release, fans were treated to singles ‘Knees Deep’, a brilliantly crafted ode to those of us who struggle with taking leaps; the tender and dynamic album title track, ‘Expert In A Dying Field’; and the propulsive ‘Silence Is Golden’. Expert In A Dying Field is a capsule of The Beths’ most electrifying and exciting output yet: the third LP from the New Zealand quartet houses 12 jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that worm their way into your head, an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun -- to hear, to play -- in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope.
Elizabeth Stokes strings it all together through her singular songwriting lens, earnest and self-effacing, zeroing in on the granules of doubt and how they snowball. Did I do the wrong thing? Or did you? And are we still good people at the end of it? She isn’t interested in villains, but instead interested in just telling the story. That insecurity and thoughtfulness, translated into universality and understanding, has been the guiding light of The Beths’ output since 2016. In the face of pain, there’s no dwelling on internal anguish - instead, through The Beths’ music, our shortcomings are met with acceptance. And Expert In A Dying Field is the most tactile that tenderness has been.
PRAISE FOR THE BETHS
“New Zealand indie-rockers push the envelope...Teaming honesty with determinedly upbeat melodies, The Beths’ sound is instantly welcoming, offering the same cathartic relief of a good heart-to-heart with a mate.” - NME, 4 stars
“The group’s third album, Expert in Dying Field, is an exhilarating power-pop tour de force, replete with bristling guitar riffs and bright, infectious harmonies. It’s also a devastating exploration of anxiety, insecurity, and regret—a reflection of how, in life, there can be no true joy without sadness.” - SLANT, 4.5 stars
“The Beths continue to make the difficult task of bringing great pop songs to life sound remarkably easy, even as those songs underline just how much of a struggle everyday life can be.” - Stereogum, “Album Of The Week”
"The Beths are responsible for some of the best rock melodies of the last half-decade, and Dying Field is just another stop on the earworm express. With their first two LPs, they proved themselves to be self-aware witnesses to their own histories and heartbreaks. With the third, however, The Beths solidify themselves as expert observers of the joy and anxiety that defineour time." - Paste, 7.9/10
