17 August 2022 - 0 Comments

Lifted from their forthcoming third album Expert In A Dying Field, The Beths today release the single Knees Deep, a brilliantly crafted ode to those of us who struggle with taking leaps, and the final glimpse into their third LP ahead of its release on Friday, September 16.

Of the track, Stokes explains: “I'm the kind of person who wants to go swimming but takes like ten minutes to get all the way into the cold water, slowly and painfully. I hate this about myself, and am kind of envious of people who can just jump straight in the deep end. In a shocking twist, this is also a metaphor?! For how I wish I was the kind of person who was brave and decisive instead of cautious and scared.”

The accompanying video leans into these themes of bravery. What should be a standard band practice turns into a daring and hilarious exercise in courage as each member finds themselves lured by a casual bout of bungy jumping from Auckland’s Harbour Bridge.

Watch the video for Knees Deep HERE

Knees Deep follows previous singles, the tender and dynamic album title track Expert In A Dying Field and the propulsive Silence Is Golden, both of which topped the Alternative Radio Chart here in Aotearoa. Expert In A Dying Field is a capsule of The Beths’ most electrifying and exciting output yet, housing 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.

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.

AOTEAROA TOUR DATES

Fri 23 Sep 22 - Opera House, Wellington, NZ

Sat 24 Sep 22 - Theatre Royal, Nelson, NZ

Fri 30 Sep 22 - James Hay Theatre, Christchurch, NZ

Sat 1 Oct 22 - Glenroy, Dunedin, NZ

Fri 7 Oct 22 - Auckland Town Hall, Auckland, NZ

Tickets on sale now at thebeths.com

Comments

Return to News Archive