The Beths - "Metal"

Photo by Frances Carter

We've been heartily on the bandwagon of The Beths for a while now, and adore their version of pop-focused indie rock. They're back with new music, and while "Metal" continues with everything we love about the New Zealand band, it also sees them branching out in a different sonic direction. The new songs sees them fully diving into the world of jangle pop, but with an interesting little folk-adjacent twist. The song is completely endearing, and is sure to win over any stray fans they may not have captured yet. Despite how jangly the song is, there is something organic about the song that keeps "Metal" almost landing in the roots music category. Plus, Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and harmonizing have never sounded better than they do here.

Elizabeth Stokes says of her band's latest single:

“In some ways ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body. That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few years, where I have been on what one might call a ‘health journey’. For parts of the last few years, I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.

“I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit’. Or ‘ugly’. Or ‘worthless’. I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no’. And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”

You can watch the video for "Metal" below. The single is out today on ANTI-. For more on The Beths, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below and include a December 2 show at Royale in Boston and December 3 at Fete Music Hall in Providence.

Thu. Sept. 18 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Sat. Sept. 20 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Sun. Sept. 21 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio
Mon. Sept. 22 - Leeds, UK @ Project House
Wed. Sept. 24 - Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Thu. Sept. 25 - Birmingham, UK @ XOYO
Fri. Sept. 26 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Sept. 27 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK
Mon. Sept. 29 - Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
Tue. Sept. 30 - Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Wed. Oct. 1 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Fri. Oct. 3 - Cologne, DE @ Kantine
Sat. Oct. 4 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Sun. Oct. 5 - Hamburg, DE @ Krust
Tue. Oct. 7 - Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Wed. Oct. 8 Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
Thu. Oct. 9 - Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Sat. Oct. 11 - Berlin, DE @ Lido
Sun. Oct. 12 - Munich, DE @ Strom
Mon. Oct. 13 - Zurich, CH @ Plaza
Wed. Oct. 15 - Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz 2
Thu. Oct. 16 - Madrid, ES @ Nazca
Fri. Oct. 17 - Lisbon, PT @ LAV
Thu. Oct. 30 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
Fri. Oct. 31 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
Sat. Nov 1 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl *
Mon. Nov. 3 - Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory *
Tue. Nov. 4 - Austin, TX @ Emo's *
Thu. Nov. 6 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
Fri. Nov. 7 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * ^
Sat. Nov. 8 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
Wed. Nov. 12 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades *
Fri. Nov. 14 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
Sat. Nov. 15 - Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre *
Sun. Nov. 16 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
Tue. Nov. 18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *
Wed. Nov. 19 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 21 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman *
Sat. Nov. 22 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre *
Sun. Nov. 23 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) * +
Tue. Nov 25 - Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron *
Wed. Nov. 26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 28 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
Sat. Nov. 29 - Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre *
Tue. Dec. 2 - Boston, MA @ Royale *
Wed. Dec. 3 - Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall *
Fri. Dec. 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount * #
Sat. Dec. 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
Tue. Dec. 9 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *

* w/ Phoebe Rings
^ w/ Bret McKenzie
+ w/ Squirrel Flower
# w/ illuminati hotties