Elizabeth Stokes, vocalist for New Zealand-based band The Beths, was struggling with writer’s block for the first time going into their latest LP, Straight Line Was A Lie. In response, with the help of her bandmates, she read – among other things – Stephen King’s On Writing, How Big Things Get Done; she started a morning ritual of typing free association ideas and thoughts on a Remington typewriter that was given to her by the band’s bassist; and she turned to music by the Drive-By Truckers, The Go-Go’s, and Olivia Rodrigo for inspiration.
The result is the band’s most lyrically complex and elegantly beautiful album to date. The daily act of free-form writing forced Stokes to revisit memories and experiences she purposely left in the past, making for a vulnerable and highly personal album. You can hear this openness in songs like the title track (the album’s thesis, complete with a sing-along chorus), the despondent-sounding “No Joy” (ironically based around Stokes’ decision to start taking SSRI medication), or the confessional “Ark of the Covenant”.
Elsewhere, on the stunning and ethereal “Mother, Pray For Me,” the band sounds like the logical evolution of The Sundays, with dreamy guitars perfectly mixing with Stokes’ pleading vocals. The album ends on “Best Laid Plans,” a near New Wave-inspired song, while not exactly optimistic, at least comes off as resigned. It also perfectly caps off an album of exceedingly strong songs with one of its biggest highlights.
Although the album was written in Los Angeles, the band returned home to record it in their hometown of Auckland. Explaining the album’s title, Stokes states “Linear progression is an illusion. What life really is is maintenance. And finding meaning in the maintenance.” It’s through that lens that the album’s 10 songs take shape.
After playing a show in Los Angeles this week, the band kicks off a European tour in September before heading back to the US for more dates in the fall.
2 Responses
Green for the correct letter in the correct position
So perfect