The Beths; My Second Favorite Record Of 2022 By A Band Under 30

 

 

I knew of The Beths existence, but not enough to realize their just released album was their third and not their first. The two reviews I read piqued my curiousity, but the clincher was this lyric:

"Love is learned over time
'Til you're an expert in a dying field"

I decided to go in and I am happy to say, "Expert In A Dying Field" is an exceptional collection of power pop from this New Zealand band. Singer and songwriter Elizabeth Stokes has written some truly brilliant thoughts on love, life and "the break-up," sometimes self-deprecating, often heartbreaking. Every song is full of those immediate hooks and memorable harmonies you find on your favorite Aimee Mann or Fountains Of Wayne records. And though, Stokes bares her soul lyrically, the record still rocks.

 

 

The Beths have not phoned it in. The songs are all wonderfully arranged and occasionally daring, like the stunning closer, "2AM," or the break in "Your Side," which I guess could be called a guitar solo, but with notes so cleverly chosen, it becomes yet another hook. Actually, there are a number of memorable guitar moments across "Expert In A Dying Field. Guitarist Jonathan Pearce is a fine player. The chorus of "Change In The Weather" is another killer, with precise stops and starts over more fantastic harmonies, that brings to mind Utopia's 80's output. 

The winner, though, is the opener, the title track. This song is perfectly structured, building beautifully to its sad but triumphant finale.

"Expert In A Dying Field" is doing wonders for me right now, and I look forward to going back to albums one and two.

The lyrics to the title track are below. Follow along, if you are so inclined. They are pretty damn great.

Can we erase our history?
Is it as easy as this?
Plausible deniability
I swear I've never heard of it
And I can close the door on us
But the room still exists
And I know you're in it

Hours of phrases I've memorized
Thousands of lines on the page
All of my notes in a desolate pile
I haven't touched in an age
And I can burn the evidence
But I can't burn the pain
And I can't forget it

How does it feel (how does it feel)
To be an expert in a dying field?
And how do you know (how do you know)
It's over when you can't let go?
You can't let go, you can't stop, you can't rewind
Love is learned over time
'Til you're an expert in a dying field
(How does it, how does it feel?)

The city is painted with memory
The water will never run clear
The birds and the bees and the flowers and trees
They know that we've both been here
And I can flee the country
For the worst of the year
But I'll come back to it

How does it feel (how does it feel)
To be an expert in a dying field?
And how do you know (how do you know)
It's over when you can't let go?
You can't let go, you can't stop, you can't rewind
Love is learned over time
'Till you're an expert in a dying field

Can we erase our history?
Is it as easy as this?
Maybe in other realities
The road never took this twist
And I can close the door on us
But the room still exists

How does it feel (how does it feel)
How do you know (how do you know)
Can't stop, can't rewind
Love is learned over time
'Til you're an expert in a dying field

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