Fronted by their main songwriter,
Elizabeth Stokes, New Zealand indie rock group
the Beths combine energized guitar riffs, melodic hooks, and harmonized backing vocals in their impulsive, distinctly self-depreciating music. Having already won fans as a live act, the band released their first album,
Future Me Hates Me, in 2018.
The Beths' 2021 live album
Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 featured earworms from the debut and follow-up Jump Rope Gazers.
Elizabeth Stokes (vocals, guitar) went to high school with
Jonathan Pearce (guitar), and they later met
Benjamin Sinclair (bass) and Ivan Luketina-Johnston (drums) while all four were studying jazz at the University of Auckland.
The Beths materialized when the friends were playing together and began revisiting the punk-pop of their youth. They liked the results and made their recording debut in 2016 with the
Pearce-produced
Warm Blood EP.
The Beths quickly built a reputation across Australia and New Zealand for their lively shows.
Carpark Records took note and reissued
Warm Blood to an international audience in 2018, the same year they released
the Beths' full-length debut,
Future Me Hates Me. Maintaining the grungy edge and infectiousness of their earliest songs, it was also produced by
Pearce.
The band soon won over indie titans such as
Death Cab for Cutie,
the Breeders, and
Pixies, all of whom created opening slots for
the Beths on tours following the debut. Meanwhile,
Tristan Deck replaced Luketina-Johnston as the group's drummer. Following 18 months on the road, they sequestered themselves to write and record their second album. Without ceding any catchiness, the
Pearce-produced
Jump Rope Gazers followed on
Carpark in 2020. Highlights from both of their first two LPs were featured on the 13-song live album
Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 the following year. ~ Marcy Donelson