The Beths have returned with ‘A Real Thing,’ their first new song since the release of 2020’s Jump Rope Gazers. Last year, the band released Auckland, New Zealand, 2020, a live concert recording that showcased the infectious energy The Beths bring to every performance, and what audiences have been so dearly missing.
“‘A Real Thing’ is a kind of anxiety dream. It’s a bit muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister,” says lead singer Liz Stokes. “It’s what came out of my guitar in late 2020, post NZ election (and U.S. election). I was limply reaching for optimism about the future, but was really just marinating in dread.” Ultimately playing more apocalyptic scenarios of climate change in her head, Stokes’ lyrics include specific references to how New Zealand has dealt with sea level rise in the past: “In NZ people sometimes use tyres and cement to build retaining walls by the water, to try to stop the land being eroded away as the sea encroaches. It doesn’t really work.”
The deep bond between Stokes, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck, has allowed them to overcome challenging circumstances and that’s present in the upbeat urgency of ‘A Real Thing.’ Driving with punchy percussion and nifty guitar licks that zoom wonderfully into an ace crescendo, Stokes vocal gears shifting from a anxious verse into a life affirming chorus that houses a prescient message concerned with climate change in her home country. It’s another insightful infectious cut to add to the Beths cannon, that will have you punching the air.
Tour Dates
Sun. Mar. 27 – Southampton, UK @ The Loft
Mon. Mar. 28 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)
Tue. Mar. 29 – Glasgow, UK @ St Luke’s
Thu. Mar. 31 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy
Sat. Apr. 2 – Birmingham, UK @ The Castle and Falcon
Sun. Apr. 3 – Bristol, UK @ Exchange
Mon. Apr. 4 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
Tue. Apr. 5 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde II
Photo credit: Frances Carter