One goal for this blog this year is to engage with new music more regularly, and I’m planning to feature a feature length review of a recent release each month.
The Beths are from Auckland, New Zealand, and Future Me Hates Me is their debut album. Like one of my favourite 2017 records, Charly Bliss’ Guppy, their power pop is rooted in 1990s guitar-rock. But where Charly Bliss’ vocals are high pitched and excitable, The Beths’ Elizabeth Stokes is a typically deadpan New Zealander.
Stokes’ likeable, low key personality is up front in the album’s most immediate song; the title track has Stokes delivering self-effacing lines like:
Future heart break, future headaches
Wide eyed nights late lying awake
With future cold shakes from stupid mistakes
Future me hates me for, hates me for
The four members of The Beths met at jazz school, although guitarist Jonathan Pearce stated that playing jazz provided a “very clear idea of what we didn’t want to do”. Instead the group reverted to the music they loved in their youth, 1990s guitar rock, infused with the pop sense of The Breeders’ ‘Cannonball’ or Weezer’s Blue Album. As a result, the members of the group are playing their secondary instruments; Stokes worked as a trumpet teacher before concentrating on The Beths.
While the group’s instrumental prowess isn’t a focus, their musical training shows the most clearly in their vocal arrangements, which are often relatively intricate. On songs like ‘Happy Unhappy’, the hooks come from the surprisingly ornate backing vocals.
Power pop can be a limiting genre, but there’s enough boundary pushing to suggest that The Beths have ideas beyond punchy guitars and big choruses. ‘River Run: Lvl 1’ and ‘Less Than Thou’, both towards the back end of Future Me Hate Me, features slower tempos and sludgier guitars.
The Beths have received plenty of attention for this excellent 2018 debut, with positive write-ups in taste makers like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. I’m a little embarrassed it’s taken me so long to pick up on it – I only noticed when it started placing well on year end lists – but it’s an excellent record, wry and tuneful.
You can purchase Future Me Hates Me from Bandcamp: https://thebethsnz.bandcamp.com/album/future-me-hates-me
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I like that idea of a monthly recent release feature.
The 1001 list I’m going through ends in 2005 – so I appreciate the blogging community keeping me up to date on what’s been happening since then!
That’s the edition I have too. Another 4 years of 1001, then you’ll be back to checking out new music.
This is the best album I’ve heard in 2019 so far. OK I know it came out last year but I’ve only just got on it. I love this record. The band can really tie one on and that wit/delivery is all charm. Let’s hear it for Jazz school eh?
She’s like the most New Zealand lead singer I’ve ever heard I think. Like the archetypal NZ woman.
They sound great. Enjoyed the first two songs more – the last one seemed to lack that musical cohesion that makes power pop catchy. Still, as the phrase goes: added to the list.
Thanks Graham.
Glad you enjoyed it. It’s not all pure power pop, but that’s probably a point in its favour.
I actually really like this. A lot. First off it sounds good, I usually don’t watch videos but i like their vibe. Sense of humor always grabs me. Really good stuff for CB. On the spin list. Oh yeah, I like her voice also. Appeals to the old ear.
It’s pretty traditional (if copping your sounds from the 1990s counts as traditional) but the personality is interesting. Have you seen Flight of the Conchords? That’s very New Zealand in terms of personality too.
My youngest son turned me onto them a few years ago. I liked their Vampire flick. Also Two Little Boys was a NZ film I enjoyed. (I go way back to Once Were Warriors)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a good movie from NZ by the same director (but with no Flight of the Conchords except the guy who plays Murray).
A friend of mine was telling me about that film. He recommended it. A departure from Condors
Yes FOC is new zealand humour at its best… With shades of real life but it’s a fiction after all. People there aren’t really like that lol
I thought that vampire film was genius. That Sam hunt film was great too but mostly a drama
Love this! From 1st 5 seconds of title track this is right up my alley! As someone else said this may end up being one of my favorite picks this year even though it came out last year
It’s good to see a New Zealand band I enjoy. We get a few boring mainstream reggae bands that are unreasonably popular.