The Beths

Best Power Pop mysic since New Pornographers early years

I'd throw Exploding Hearts in there too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaoCF5cVj2g

new single is really special

they get the melancholy jangle/powerpop blend perfect and the breakdown is perfect

I don't know if they're the best rock band in te world but they're definitely among the very most adorable

i'll give them "best power-pop band in the world" at least

they've also done two more live streams since the first, another acoustic duo stream like the first and a full-band live in studio session

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmZidynMHE8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnInD287geo

Best power pop band working today for sure.

New stuff is basically the debut part 2 and i have no problem with that

tbh i'd be thrilled if they could keep cranking out that debut album for the next 10 years. evolution is overrated.

Agreed

bands like this tend to have a short shelf life, gotta treasure it while you can

listen you can't just stroll onto the beths thread and threaten the beths like that

well now they're obliged to call their next one THE DETHS

Megabeths

now i am become beth

I caught the second House show live and there was all this chatter about audience time zones. The half hour Newfoundland time zone might have really shaken them up. They mention it again in this week's show and then they start swearing and drinking. Shoot...

the new track isn't some bold re-invention but it's broadened their sound just a little in an absolutely perfect way

i think it's probably my favourite song they've done yet

NZ having concerts again huh. They announced one for July 11!

"Out of Sight" is really really good

it's funny I don't really think of them as a "New Zealand" band but the shimmery guitar at the beginning feels very classic NZ to me

just looked it up, NZ pop 4.8 million, their per capita good rock band production is off the fucking charts

Does anyone else hear the melodies of Sunburn era Blake Babies coming through in the music of The Beths?

...or is it just me?

So did they deliberately chose the ugliest album cover they could think about?

The pre-orders are shipping... my copy of Jump Rope Gazers just arrived in the mail!

(xp - yeah, this band definitely neglects the visual / graphic design side of things)

My pre-order was delayed because I'm getting a free poster as I was one of the first people to order it. That was a nice bit of good news to get the other day (the poster, not the delay).

I've actually had a download since the beginning of April. I don't usually get albums I ask to review that early, but my editor came through for me. At first I was a bit surprised (and maybe even disappointed) that it's a bit softer than Future Me Hates Me and wasn't as instant. Of course after a few plays I love it to bits and they really do feel like my favourite current band. It's kind of the same experience I had with the second Alvvays, Shura and Charly Bliss albums which took a while and I ended up loving as much or even more than their debuts.

a free poster

unfortunately this is a free poster from the band that definitely neglects the visual / graphic design side of things, haha

where did you all pre-order from? i never purchased the first one because i was still trying to make more than negative zero dollars a month at that point, but now i'm wealthy and ready to buy NZ indie pop

Haha, yes I don't what the poster looks like but I don't have high hopes for it being one I want to actually display anywhere. It's a nice thought though.

I ordered it directly through their store as they said it was the best way to support the band.

http://store.carparkrecords.com/products/664303-cak143-the-beths-jump-rope-gazers

Not sure how they decide which songs to pick as singles, but this feels like wall-to-wall solid songwriting. I think I'm actually gonna connect with some of these album cuts more than I did with the first 2 singles... a lot of them have the same rain-streaked melancholy as "Out of Sight".

Yes, definitely closer to Alvvays territory (which is aural catnip to me).

It's hard to get past You Are a Beam of Light as my favourite. Such a stunning vocal performance.

Hmm I don't find the album cover that offensive. It's a photo of a weird sculpture so not the typical graphic design crime, really. TBH though shit like this has way more personality than most indie album covers out there that look like sterile overly serious magazine ads. Not that it is the only other type of cover, but ultimately I appreciate DIY art weirdness much more than most other styles.

otm. And the poster at the link above is a fun illustration. Can't wait to hear the album!

I don't mind their artwork that much really. It did take me a while to find a t-shirt that I was happy to get though. I went with the blue rabbit design and I'm very pleased with it.

https://thebeths.merchtable.com/apparel/rabbit-baby-blue-t-shirt

they have a really uncanny grasp of the "90s used CD bin" aesthetic

That might explain it. I am the strange-guy-on-the-beach-with-the-metal-detector of bins full of used 90s CDs.

honestly i've barely glanced at their song/album art, i didn't mean to be overly judgmental. for me, i really don't care much at all about album artwork. i put it in the same level as track names - a particularly good or appropriate one might stand out to me, but a bad one doesn't make a difference either

i'm here for the *music* maaaan

also ordered their LPs from car park, thanks for the head's up kitchen person!

I've seen many worse album covers this year

a lot of them have the same rain-streaked melancholy as "Out of Sight".

i think that's the best song they've ever done by a fair way so i'm very excited

I didn't say it was bad it's just this and the last one look exactly like a band that got signed to EastWest in 97 and put out two unfairly overlooked power pop records

so basically exactly what would have happened to the Beths had they been around then

album rules and i think it's a bit better than the debut, adding some melancholy jangles to their sound goes a long way

I had tickets to a show they were supposed to play here in Cleveland back in April, and it got rescheduled for plague-related reasons to the end of September, so now it will be in support of all-new material. Which is nice!

"Jump Rope Gazers", the song, is more directly evocative of Sheryl Crow than anything on the Haim album!

This album fuckin rules. Best summer ever! (For music, I mean...)

did it leaked

I don't think so. People have been getting their vinyl copies shipped early.

it leaked

yeah it's out there

Oh right, cool. I'm excited to see more reactions in the next few days. Hopefully the reviews are positive too. I'm still so surprised at how much critics slept on the debut.

It's doing ok so far:

https://www.metacritic.com/music/jump-rope-gazers/the-beths