New Zealand band The Beths‘ ability to delivery frenetic ebullient pop is never more evident than in their endearing new single ‘A Real Thing’: a powerhouse of a track that bubbles and sparkles like an opened bottle of shaken fizz. There is an almost naïve delivery, certainly a low-fi blitz and a dash of yearning with expressive lyrics that combine an element of surrealism with deadpan observations:
picking up the tyres from the side of the road
gonna push back the coming tide
lay them in the harbour in symmetrical rows
disappear when the water is high
Lead singer Liz Stokes says the track reflects serious climate change issues that face the Pacific region:
“A Real Thing’ is a kind of anxiety dream. It’s a bit muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister. 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 accompanying video directed by Sports Team has a quaint fuzzy hand-held simplicity about it that matches the charming, lilting tone:
‘A Real Thing’ can be downloaded and streamed here.
In the meantime, The Beths’ indie pop quality has been recognised by their signing to Ivy League Records, home to other Backseat Mafia favourites Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, A. Swayze and the Ghosts and Hatchie. A headline tour of Australia next month has already sold out and the band has extensive dates globally – details below:
The Beths Tour Dates
Tickets available here
Thu. Feb. 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater (SOLD OUT)
Fri. Feb. 11 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Feb. 12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Tue. Feb. 15 – Austin, TX @ Empire Garage
Wed. Feb. 16 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada (SOLD OUT)
Fri. Feb. 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell) (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Feb. 19 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
Wed. Feb. 23 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT)
Thu. Feb. 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts (SOLD OUT)
Fri. Feb. 25 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Feb. 26 – Boston, MA @ Royale
Mon. Feb. 28 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Wed. Mar. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Fri. Mar. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Mar. 10 – Sydney, AU @ The Factory Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Fri. Mar. 11 – Brisbane, AU @ The Zoo (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Mar. 12 – Melbourne, AU @ The Night Cat (SOLD OUT)
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
Thu. Apr. 7 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère
Fri. Apr. 8 – Lyon, FR @ Le Marché Gare
Sat. Apr. 9 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Sun. Apr. 10 – Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie
Tue. Apr. 12 – Milan, IT @ Biko
Wed. Apr. 13 – Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
Fri. Apr. 15 – Vienna, AT @ B72
Sat. Apr. 16 – Prague, CZ @ Underdogs’
Mon. Apr. 18 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Tue. Apr. 19 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Ideal Bar
Wed. Apr. 20 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Thu. Apr. 21 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Fri. Apr. 22 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Sat. Apr. 23 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Sun. Apr. 24 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Kulturfabrik
Sun. Aug. 14 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Feature Photograph: Frances Carter
