Recorded during the sessions for last year's phenomenal Expert in a Dying Field, "Watching the Credits" was left off that album, but luckily The Beths have decided to release the song as a standalone single. "Watching the Credits" is an indie rock power pop song that barrels along for it's three minute run time. The song is about frontwoman Elizabeth Stokes' habit of learning about movies without watching them. What's phenomenal about this song is how cinematic it is for a three minute pop song. It's almost done in three acts with a build, a climax, and an ending. It even has some strings just to tug at your emotions. If it isn't my imagination coming up with this concept, "Watching the Credits" is a wonderfully clever song that is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites from The Beths.
You can listen to "Watching the Credits" below. For more on The Beths, check out their website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video, including a stop at In Between Days Festival in Quincy, MA on August 19.
Wed. May 24 - Bristol, UK @ SWX Thu. May 25 - London, UK @ Electric Brixton Fri. May 26 - Walton-on-Trent, UK @ Bearded Theory Festival Sat. May 27 - Leeds, UK @ Live at Leeds in the Park Sun. May 28 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Tue. May 30 - Glasgow, UK @ The Garage Wed. May 31 - Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s Fri. June 2 - Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival Sat. June 3 - Ellerdorf, DE @ Wilwarin Festival Sun. June 4 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club Mon. June 5 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefählrich Tue. June 6 - Cologne, DE @ Gebäude 9 Thu. June 8 - Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound Festival Fri. June 9 - Madrid, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival Sat. June 10 - Dijon, FR @ VYV Festival Mon. June 12 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux Tue. June 13 - Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Wed. June 14 - Lille, FR @ Aéronef Fri. June 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Boulevardia Festival Sat. June 17 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Sun. June 18 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn Tue. June 20 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Wed. June 21 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar Thu. June 22 - Gainesville, FL @ High Dive Fri. July 14 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko Sat. July 15 - Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown Sun. July 16 - Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival Tue. July 18 - Liverpool, UK @ Hangar 34 Wed. July 19 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Boiler Shop Fri. July 21 - Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival Sat. July 22 - Steventon, UK @ Truck Festival Sun. July 23 - Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival Fri. July 28 - Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival Sat. July 29 - Omaha, NE @ Maha Festival Tue. Aug. 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * [SOLD OUT] Wed. Aug. 2 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * Thu. Aug. 3 - New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl * Fri. Aug. 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre Sat. Aug. 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern Mon. Aug. 7 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore * Tue. Aug. 8 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee * Wed. Aug. 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory * Fri. Aug. 11 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * [SOLD OUT] Sat. Aug. 12 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * Tue. Aug. 15 - Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater * Wed. Aug. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park Thu. Aug. 17 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Fri. Aug. 18 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage Sat. Aug. 19 - Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival Mon. Aug. 21 - Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater Tue. Aug. 22 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Sun. Aug. 27 - Seattle, WA @ THING Sat. Sep. 30 - Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^ Sun. Oct. 1 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre ^ Tue. Oct. 3 - Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Wed. Oct. 4 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^ [SOLD OUT] Fri. Oct. 6 - Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT] Sat. Oct. 7 - Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT] Mon. Oct. 9 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Tue. Oct. 10 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Wed. Oct. 11 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Thu. Oct. 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Fri. Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^ [SOLD OUT] Sat. Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Sun. Oct. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Tue. Oct. 17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Wed. Oct. 18 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Thu. Oct. 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * w/ The National ^ w/ Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service
Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing, on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
Photo by Hanna Katrina I never thought we'd be covering a band that formed after a karaoke party doing a song about Meghan Markle, but 2019 is weird. Also, Dry Cleaning are a shockingly great band. Only forming two years ago, the band is set to release their debut EP next month. "Magic of Meghan" is obviously about Meghan Markle, but it might be the only post punk and new wave influenced song about the Duchess of Sussex. As the band says about the song: “ The song acknowledges that following the lives of those in the public eye can provide people with an escape; an outlet for difficult emotions, and subsequently help them to cope with hard times in their lives, ” says Florence Shaw. “ The song is, in part, intended to serve as a thank you to Meghan for this service (‘You got engaged on the day that I moved out. It’s ok. She’s a smasher, perfectly suited to the role’). The song also aims to highlight how the news media dissect her decisions (‘Never has one outfit bee...
Photo by Ebru Yildiz Somehow TORRES keeps surprising us with her music. The musical project of Mackenzie Scott has released a new single that features her vocals and acoustic guitar that would feel at home in a neo-folk song over a pre-programmed drum beat with sounds that at times are either a light squall of guitar feedback and electronic noises. The song has this haunting and unsettling feeling to it, despite sounding like it's trying to be upbeat. I'd say art doesn't always have to be a pleasant experience, but "I got the fear" can be a pleasant listening experience, except for the times it's not. Mackenzie Scott says of her latest single: “A collective dread has been mounting. Everyone I know is having a brawl with the universe, with themselves…wars, climate catastrophe, a pandemic, the worldwide regression on human rights, the political hellscape — it affects everybody, and I know we’re all feeling it in waves of varying degree all the time. I think it’s...
