Rising stars, The Beths, release their third album

Lindsay Coulson | Writer

October 11, 2022

The Beths released their third album Expert in a Dying Field last month. The Beths consists of vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristian Deck. Liz does a majority of the band’s songwriting, which is definitely one of The Beths strong points. Her writing throughout this album varies from topics like bravery in “Knees Deep,” mental illness in “Change in the Weather” and, of course, love in “When You Know You Know.”

Just like their other albums, The Beths never fail to deliver catchy choruses and harmonic waterfalls and fun riffs. However that begs the question, “How is this album any different from the other two?” I can assure you, as long as The Beths have Liz’s songwriting, the music they put out will never get old.

In their opening track, “Expert in a Dying Field,” Liz confesses “I can close the door on us/But the room still exists/And I know you’re in it.” She’s saying that even if she walks away from her relationship, the feelings she had will still exist. Liz continues, “How does it feel/To be an expert in a dying field?” She looks at love like a science, something that should be studied and learned with time, but is overall pointless.

There are plenty more lyrics from the album worth mentioning. In “Head in the Clouds,” Liz sings “You can scream at the void/But it never replies.” On “A Passing Rain” Liz confronts her demons in a song plenty of people can relate to. She writes, “When I’m in my right mind/I seem to know I’m not a pain to you/But somehow, knowing that/Doesn’t conflict with knowing it’s not true” and “I cave like I was built to break/You stay like it’s a passing rain.” It’s a beautiful song, reminding listeners that even at your lowest, you are loved.

“The song with my favorite lyrics is ‘Change in the Weather,’ which sings ‘I feel it coming but I’m scared to let it in/This change in the weather,'” San Clemente High School senior Freya Poteet said.

In an interview with the Rolling Stones, Elizabeth says about songwriting, “It’s always a little different. Every song is always a little bit different. There’s a part of it that feels like a skill, the more you do it you get better at it, but there’s also another part that feels kind of like magic. You do it again and again and sometimes you get magic and sometimes you don’t!”

Their indie rock band originated from New Zealand. Elizabeth, Jonathan, and Benjamin all met studying jazz at the University of Auckland, with Tristian joining later on. An amazing thing about New Zealand is that they have government funded agencies that support the music business. Their home has supported them with recording opportunities, music videos, and three tours.

Soon, they will start touring around New Zealand, Australia, the US, and Canada. You might want to see them play the Fonda Theatre in March 2023, but that’s considering you don’t mind LA traffic.

“I’m looking forward to seeing which songs they play live!” senior Jack Thralls said.

In general, The Beths aren’t super prophetic but sometimes it’s nice just to enjoy a catchy song made by talented musicians. Even the “sad” songs have you singing along.