Album Review: Straight Line Was A Lie

For the last ten years The Beths have been on a continuous rise to the top, with hit singles, silver scrolls and culminating in the release of Expert In A Dying Field in 2022 reaching No.1 in NZ and charting across the world. So it’s no wonder that after a decade of relentless output singer/songwriter Liz Stokes was feeling somewhat creative tapped out, something I’m sure anyone who has pursued art for any length of time can relate too. But daunting as they are, it’s these creative blocks that force you to experiment and tap into new parts of your creativity, think Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, or how R.E.M decided they would make their next album using instruments they had never played before, and while the Beths haven’t necessarily adorned psychedelic costumes or suddenly picked up a mandolin, Straight Line Was A Lie is a glowing example of what starting from scratch can do.

Straight Line Was A Lie begins with a cheeky false start, adding a quirky human moment that makes you feel like you’re in the room with the band. What follows is a classic example of The Beths talent for taking a darkly complex idea like nihilistic futility and turn it into an upbeat Pop hit that gets you joyfully singing along to the idea of your own circular existence. Already lauded internationally for her lyrical prowess, Stokes continues to show her ability to capture universal experiences through such a personal lens and craft them into succinct catchy phrases that on their own feel like ancient old timey wisdom.

The second track Mosquitoes, my favourite on the album, starts of as a sweet, acoustic folk song with stream of conscious style rolling lyrics. Inspired by watching a creek in her backyard ravaged by flooding, Stokes lyrics capture in detail the visceral experience of the scene as she paints it into metaphor with brilliant lines like “The current has forgotten how it felt to break the world.”

Mother, Pray For Me and Til My Heart Stops are the tearjerkers of the album, the softer tone of the music helps to showcase Stokes impressive vocal range as she emotionally delivers delicate, falsetto melodies that strike right at the heart of the listener.

The album finishes of with Best Laid Plans, an interesting concoction of upbeat percussion, phlegmatic almost spoken word vocals and bright, dreamy layers of ethereal psychedelic melodies.

Anyone who has seen The Beths play live can attest to the fact they are one of the best live bands our wee country has ever produced, the magnitude of their sound is only matched by the flawlessness of their performance and the way they are able to catch the effervescent energy of their live shows on record is a feat few bands are able to pull off.

Straight Line Was A Lie is a fantastic addition to The Beths already impressive discography and with shows for their world tour already selling out it looks like the momentum built up over the last decade is still only scratching the surface of what this band is capable of.