New album out! (Bandcamp link) The Beths are so consistent, and Liz Stokes' songwriting remains top-notch. This album's a bit of a slower burn and less catchy than their previous stuff, but it's...
The Beths are so consistent, and Liz Stokes' songwriting remains top-notch. This album's a bit of a slower burn and less catchy than their previous stuff, but it's equally if not more resonant.
If anyone wants a bit more background on the album, this article goes into the lead singer and songwriter's mental and physical health difficulties.
I'm so glad someone posted this! I was thinking of doing a post on Straight Line Was a Lie but didn't have the energy to give it the effort it deserves. This is also cool to see someone post...
I'm so glad someone posted this! I was thinking of doing a post on Straight Line Was a Lie but didn't have the energy to give it the effort it deserves. This is also cool to see someone post because someone talking about The Beths on Tildes was what initially turned me on to them. This album has been my most-anticipated release of the year.
I've been listening to the singles for a few weeks now, but so far I've only been through the album once. I like to do one listen to just take it all in, then another to follow along with the lyrics, which is so worth it with Liz's writing. I was caught off guard by how much darker some of this album is compared to previous releases. Many of their other songs have melancholy lyrics but the music itself, interestingly, doesn't always match that in the expected way. On SLWaL, however, one or two of the tracks are genuinely a little unsettling (in a good way) - I'm mainly thinking of "Take". All of this makes sense given Liz's recent struggles.
To add something to this post more specifically, I'll recommend the video "The Beths Make: Metal" for a fun behind-the-scenes look at this track. They've also done one for "No Joy" and I hope they do more of these in the future!
Same here! u/Loire is now gone (though I hope he's still around under a different name), but he got me into The Beths years ago and they have since become my favorite band of all time. And yeah,...
This is also cool to see someone post because someone talking about The Beths on Tildes was what initially turned me on to them.
Same here! u/Loire is now gone (though I hope he's still around under a different name), but he got me into The Beths years ago and they have since become my favorite band of all time.
And yeah, SLWaL hits hard. "Mother, Pray for Me" was like a gut punch. And you mention the dissonance between their music and lyrics, which is in full effect on "No Joy" -- peppy and upbeat but emotionally empty. Also your mention was my first time listening to "Take" and paying attention to the lyrics which, wow...
"Take" is fantastic. And very intense. I don't think there's anything else like it in their discography. The sense of unease the second time through the "oblivion" section is honestly a lot to...
"Take" is fantastic. And very intense. I don't think there's anything else like it in their discography. The sense of unease the second time through the "oblivion" section is honestly a lot to handle.
I've gone back through the album now and I've decided 90% of it is just excellent. "Best Laid Plans" doesn't fully land for me but everything else is great, especially after a second listen + read along. Liz is very easy to understand aurally a lot of the time already, but actually having the lyrics in front of me while listening makes me process them differently. I just also find that I don't take in the music as fully that way, thus the two different listenings.
I almost don't want to ask, because I put the question to my friends and they said they preferred the ambiguity... but do you have an opinion on what the "short word" in "Metal" is? I only really have one idea and I don't think it fits.
Great question! I thought about this and listened to the song a few times. I'm not sure we can know what the word is exactly. I interpret it as being some sort of hollow self-image or label for...
Great question!
I thought about this and listened to the song a few times. I'm not sure we can know what the word is exactly.
I interpret it as being some sort of hollow self-image or label for oneself.
The whole song is about survival and complexity. The narrator has a sort of yearning quality that longs for life and acknowledges the beautiful complexity and interdependence of things. They know what to look for, but they can't translate that into something meaningful as applied to themself.
The "short word" feels like a minimization of the narrator's identity -- their inability to feel their own complexity and pursue their own survival.
It strikes me as a succinct depression metaphor, and one I can personally relate to. When I'm in my lows, I have a sort of textbook understanding of the world that doesn't translate into emotional truth at all. I don't want to feel like nothing, but I'm also completely unable to do anything about that, and all the things I think about that could help me see and appreciate life seem empty. Survival is all I can do.
I feel like a "short word" and nothing more -- not a sentence, not a paragraph, and certainly not a whole book of my own, with all its complexity and resonance.
Now, I also have an alternate theory: the word is "iron."
The metal in our blood that we need to survive is iron. The compass and mention of magnetic fields? Iron is a ferrous metal.
The narrator is in survival mode and is focusing on one small detail as a baseline. They see a "short word" and nothing more: "iron."
Rather than it being a minimization of the narrator like my first interpretation, which is a pessimistic reading of the song, this one's a more optimistic reading.
The idea of "iron" is the one thing they're holding on to to keep them alive. What does iron represent in the song? Strength. Direction. Vitality. Life.
Iron is an anchor that the narrator uses to root themself in life itself. It's what they think of when they consider the world. It's what they think about when they cry.
When I'm in my lows, I often lock on to specific details -- landmarks that help me navigate the storm and remind me of the reality outside of my own tumultuous and devastating internal emotional experience.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Interesting! There's definitely some interpretations of the song I hadn't considered in there. I'll have to sit with these for a while. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! Sorry...
Hmmmmmmmmm. Interesting! There's definitely some interpretations of the song I hadn't considered in there. I'll have to sit with these for a while. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! Sorry for my short reply, I'm still processing I guess.
So happy to see this here. I just saw them in NYC for their album release show! Loving the new album. They actually gave out free recorders to all attendees and we got to play along with the band....
So happy to see this here. I just saw them in NYC for their album release show! Loving the new album. They actually gave out free recorders to all attendees and we got to play along with the band.
New album out! (Bandcamp link)
The Beths are so consistent, and Liz Stokes' songwriting remains top-notch. This album's a bit of a slower burn and less catchy than their previous stuff, but it's equally if not more resonant.
If anyone wants a bit more background on the album, this article goes into the lead singer and songwriter's mental and physical health difficulties.
Thanks so much for that article, I love reading anything Liz has to say about her/their work. I really need to hunt for more pieces like that.
I'm so glad someone posted this! I was thinking of doing a post on Straight Line Was a Lie but didn't have the energy to give it the effort it deserves. This is also cool to see someone post because someone talking about The Beths on Tildes was what initially turned me on to them. This album has been my most-anticipated release of the year.
I've been listening to the singles for a few weeks now, but so far I've only been through the album once. I like to do one listen to just take it all in, then another to follow along with the lyrics, which is so worth it with Liz's writing. I was caught off guard by how much darker some of this album is compared to previous releases. Many of their other songs have melancholy lyrics but the music itself, interestingly, doesn't always match that in the expected way. On SLWaL, however, one or two of the tracks are genuinely a little unsettling (in a good way) - I'm mainly thinking of "Take". All of this makes sense given Liz's recent struggles.
To add something to this post more specifically, I'll recommend the video "The Beths Make: Metal" for a fun behind-the-scenes look at this track. They've also done one for "No Joy" and I hope they do more of these in the future!
Same here! u/Loire is now gone (though I hope he's still around under a different name), but he got me into The Beths years ago and they have since become my favorite band of all time.
And yeah, SLWaL hits hard. "Mother, Pray for Me" was like a gut punch. And you mention the dissonance between their music and lyrics, which is in full effect on "No Joy" -- peppy and upbeat but emotionally empty. Also your mention was my first time listening to "Take" and paying attention to the lyrics which, wow...
"Take" is fantastic. And very intense. I don't think there's anything else like it in their discography. The sense of unease the second time through the "oblivion" section is honestly a lot to handle.
I've gone back through the album now and I've decided 90% of it is just excellent. "Best Laid Plans" doesn't fully land for me but everything else is great, especially after a second listen + read along. Liz is very easy to understand aurally a lot of the time already, but actually having the lyrics in front of me while listening makes me process them differently. I just also find that I don't take in the music as fully that way, thus the two different listenings.
I almost don't want to ask, because I put the question to my friends and they said they preferred the ambiguity... but do you have an opinion on what the "short word" in "Metal" is? I only really have one idea and I don't think it fits.
Great question!
I thought about this and listened to the song a few times. I'm not sure we can know what the word is exactly.
I interpret it as being some sort of hollow self-image or label for oneself.
The whole song is about survival and complexity. The narrator has a sort of yearning quality that longs for life and acknowledges the beautiful complexity and interdependence of things. They know what to look for, but they can't translate that into something meaningful as applied to themself.
The "short word" feels like a minimization of the narrator's identity -- their inability to feel their own complexity and pursue their own survival.
It strikes me as a succinct depression metaphor, and one I can personally relate to. When I'm in my lows, I have a sort of textbook understanding of the world that doesn't translate into emotional truth at all. I don't want to feel like nothing, but I'm also completely unable to do anything about that, and all the things I think about that could help me see and appreciate life seem empty. Survival is all I can do.
I feel like a "short word" and nothing more -- not a sentence, not a paragraph, and certainly not a whole book of my own, with all its complexity and resonance.
Now, I also have an alternate theory: the word is "iron."
The metal in our blood that we need to survive is iron. The compass and mention of magnetic fields? Iron is a ferrous metal.
The narrator is in survival mode and is focusing on one small detail as a baseline. They see a "short word" and nothing more: "iron."
Rather than it being a minimization of the narrator like my first interpretation, which is a pessimistic reading of the song, this one's a more optimistic reading.
The idea of "iron" is the one thing they're holding on to to keep them alive. What does iron represent in the song? Strength. Direction. Vitality. Life.
Iron is an anchor that the narrator uses to root themself in life itself. It's what they think of when they consider the world. It's what they think about when they cry.
When I'm in my lows, I often lock on to specific details -- landmarks that help me navigate the storm and remind me of the reality outside of my own tumultuous and devastating internal emotional experience.
I think "iron" might be one of their landmarks.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Interesting! There's definitely some interpretations of the song I hadn't considered in there. I'll have to sit with these for a while. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! Sorry for my short reply, I'm still processing I guess.
I really like The Beths, and this was my favourite of the three tracks they released before the album drop. Happy to see another fan hanging out here.
So happy to see this here. I just saw them in NYC for their album release show! Loving the new album. They actually gave out free recorders to all attendees and we got to play along with the band.
They also have a really hilarious blog: https://www.breakfastandtravelupdates.com