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IN REVIEW: The Beths - "Expert in a Dying Field"

 

Taking cues from the scrappy power pop of the '90s, New Zealand based The Beths have wasted no time in building their sound; already having introduced themselves via their 2018 debut Future Me Hates Me and then going just a bit darker on the excellent 2020 follow-up Jump Rope Gazers, there are both subtle refinements and sneaky experimentations to be heard on third record Expert in a Dying Field.

At its base, this is the same crackling power pop The Beths have been creating from the outset, the result of what I imagine is a lot of late night headphones sessions with the likes of Superchunk, Matthew Sweet and Liz Phair records growing up. On Expert in a Dying Field, however, the hooks are sharper and the instrumentals more controlled, while continuing to offer the same endorphin rush they always have. The opening title track pretty much encapsulates the record's ambitions with its softly sung, rangy vocal, inviting rhythm and melodic payoff. Even better is Knees Deep, a song about cowardice and insecurity that is presented in one of the year's most cathartic and satisfying power pop packages.

Elsewhere, there's the quicker and more freaked out Silence is Golden, which is the kind of ripper you can't wait to experience in a live setting. From here, we get the softer, more melodic bliss of Your Side, the bouncy and acoustic-assisted I Want to Listen before closing out the first half with the more jagged, post punk-indebted Head in the Clouds. These subtle shifts continue as the album progresses, as Best Left goes for a bigger payoff, a brightly coloured racket that kind of sounds like Of Monsters and Men with more distortion. That's followed by the jangly Change in the Weather, the sugary When You Know You Know, the pensive and nervous A Passing Rain, the hard charging I Told You That I Was Afraid, and the anxious, nocturnal closer 2am.

Tying all of this together is that power pop connective tissue, the sweet spot where bandleader/songwriter Elizabeth Stokes gets to tackle the difficulties of navigating relationships as the world goes mad around us while somehow making it all sound hopeful, even at its bleakest; this is no easy task and, though there are a lot of bands occupying this general area of the sonic spectrum, it's an attribute that can easily set a band apart. The Beths have had an impressive, albeit somewhat stealthy, evolution to this point and, should they continue to build upon their growing foundation of success, we could be seeing big things from them sooner rather than later.

September 16, 2022 • Carpark/Rough Trade
Highlights Knees Deep • Silence is Golden • Best Left

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