<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, I was thinking about something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are the first words you hear on the Beths\u2019 latest, Straight Line Was A Lie, <\/em>apologizing for the opening track\u2019s false start. At first, it feels like a cute, self-deprecating peek behind the curtain from the celebrated New Zealand band, but upon reflection, it\u2019s actually a fitting introduction to the more vulnerable album that follows.<\/p>\n More from Spin:<\/p>\n I never previously associated such descriptors with the Beths. To me, the adjective I\u2019d most often use is \u201cexquisite.\u201d There is something graceful, practically effortless about how the band\u2019s contrasting elements\u2014Elizabeth Stokes\u2019s beautifully delicate vocals, Jonathan Pearce\u2019s fuzzy, catchy riffs, Tristan Deck\u2019s driving drums, and all four members\u2019 shimmering harmonies\u2014come together to create power pop gems that simultaneously feel modern and like they\u2019d be topping the college rock radio charts in 1989. The level of musicianship is so high, so consistent, that four albums in, you could almost take the quality of a Beths album for granted.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s wonderful that they\u2019ve chosen now to show more of the people behind the catchy hooks and sing-along choruses. The title track sets the tone, as it builds and crashes, then builds and crashes again before ultimately reaching a cathartic loop. \u201cNo Joy\u201d is as tight and fast as you\u2019d expect from this band, but with enough raw grit on the guitar and drums that you feel like you\u2019re in the studio with them. The band even embraces chaos for once on the propulsive \u201cTake,\u201d as this is the rare Beths\u2019 song where the music feels like it\u2019s in a battle with Stokes\u2019s voice\u2026 and winning, as her singing the lyric \u201coblivion\u201d collapses into a searing solo from Pearce.<\/p>\n Lyrically this album also finds Stokes more exposed. Her trademark witty turns of phrase are still present, but feel less guarded on lines like, \u201cI\u2019m only here to feed mosquitos\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll always be addicted to your energy.\u201d This is especially true on the album\u2019s gentle standout, \u201cMother, Pray For Me,\u201d where a child strives to connect with their mother as a person rather than a parent. It\u2019s open-hearted but complicated\u2014\u201cI want to hurt you for the hurt you made in me\u201d\u2014and avoids any sentimentality by ending without resolution.<\/p>\n That fits the album\u2019s larger theme of uncertainty. For a band that so clearly knows who they are, the songs really show them grappling with a changing world: the images of erosion on \u201cMosquitos,\u201d the list of what it takes to simply survive on \u201cMetal,\u201d the fear of what\u2019s to come on \u201cArk of the Covenant.\u201d Which makes the album\u2019s most declarative moments\u2014the triumphant chorus on \u201cTil My Heart Stops\u201d\u2014pop all the more. Its passion feels earned.<\/p>\n And despite these difficult feelings, Straight Line Was A Lie<\/em> is still an exciting, rocking album. Like the Beths prior albums, you will be bopping along the whole time, and these songs will sound thrilling live. The Beths are evolving, living up to Stokes\u2019s own lyrics on \u201cRoundabout,\u201d \u201cNever change, unless you do, unless you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n