At this point, The Beths releasing a fantastic indie rock/pop song isn't a huge story. The New Zealand band just keeps cranking out great single after great single seemingly at ease. But something is just different about their latest. "Knees Deep" leans a little more towards the pop side of things. It's a little bit cleaner and more polished than what we normally hear from The Beths, but in a fantastic way. "Knees Deep" is the kind of song that should be a huge crossover hit, and it still could be if there is any justice in the world. It's undeniably catchy with mesmerizing guitar work. If you've somehow avoided jumping on The Beths' bandwagon so far, this one will basically force you onboard.
Singer/guitarist Liz Stokes says of the new single:
“I'm the kind of person who wants to go swimming, but takes like ten minutes to get all the way into the cold water, slowly and painfully. I hate this about myself, and am kind of envious of people who can just jump straight in the deep end. In a shocking twist, this is also a metaphor?! For how I wish I was the kind of person who was brave and decisive instead of cautious and scared.”
You can watch the video for "Knees Deep" below. Expert in a Dying Field is due out September 16 on Carpark Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on The Beths, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Mon. Aug. 22 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. Aug. 23 - Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
Thu. Aug. 25 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Fri. Aug. 26 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
Sat. Aug. 27 - Portland, ME @ Portland House of Music
Sun. Aug. 28 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
Wed. Aug. 31 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
Thu. Sep. 1 - Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Thu. Sep. 15 - Melbourne, AU @ 170 Russell
Fri. Sep. 16 - Sydney, AU @ Metro Theatre
Sat. Sep. 17 - Brisbane, AU @ The Triffid
Tue. Sep. 20 - Adelaide, AU @ The Gov
Wed. Sep. 21 - Perth, AU @ Magnet House
Fri. Sep. 23 - Wellington, NZ @ Opera House
Sat. Sep. 24 - Nelson, NZ @ Theatre Royal
Fri. Sep. 30 - Christchurch, NZ @ James Hay Theatre
Sat. Oct. 1 - Dunedin, NZ @ The Glenroy
Fri. Oct. 7 - Auckland, NZ @ Auckland Town Hall
Thu. Feb. 16 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Fri. Feb. 17 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Wed. Feb. 22 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Fri. Feb. 24 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sun. Feb. 26 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Tue. Feb. 28 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. Mar. 2 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Fri. Mar. 3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sat. Mar. 4 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. Mar. 6 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Tue. Mar. 7 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Heaven
Photo by Tonje Thilesen Ezra Furman has to be one of the most unique and yet all encompassing artists out today. Her latest single, "Forever In Sunset," combines elements of singer/songwriter fare, electronic music, and indie rock. It's an intense song that is almost a power ballad but is a little too heavy at times for that. It's a mish-mash of glam, adult contemporary, and post punk. That should not work at all, but most artists aren't Furman who apparently can do literally anything musically and make it masterful. Ezra Furman says of her new song: “The biggest influence on the lyrics of this song is a conversation I had with a friend of mine. When Covid was first hitting, she was talking to me a lot about how ready she felt. She was like, ‘people who have been comfortable in life are freaking out right now. But queer people like me have been in crisis before. I grew up poor and my family kicked me out when I was a teenager. My world has already ended plenty of ...
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...
Photo by Gia Smith There's prolific, and then there's Derek Smith. The Boston musician's latest single with the Cosmic Vultures, "Hollow Choir," is his eightieth song in the past eight years. It also helps explain the genre psychedelic folk-rock. The song is a little over three minutes, but the genre makes it feel much more epic. It's smooth sounding with trippy little flourishes, particularly in the guitar. At times, it sounds almost Adult Contemporary, but it's far too psychedelic for that. It's the play between the mainstream and the alternative side of folk that makes "Hollow Choir" work so well. Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures have long had this ability to provide a little something for everyone, and their latest proves that more than previous ones have. Derek Smith says of his latest single: “This song sums up the feelings I have had towards my music career for the last few years. I am always being told what I should do or what I sh...
