W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

01. Straight Line Was A Lie – The Beths (Anti Records)

As anyone who knows me should realize by now, I am a huge fan of New Zealand’s The Beths.  I’ve been listening, seeing and following Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pierce, Benjamin SInclair and Tristan Deck from pretty much the beginning (even before Tristan became the full time drummer in the band) and unabashedly consider them to be my favorite band out there right now.  That being said, oftentimes long time fans often have a hard time adjusting to “their” band changing and growing into something that might not have been there “back in the day”.  Straight Line Was A Lie is just such a departure from the older Beths sound, but in a very nuanced manner.  I don’t think anyone will argue the fact that Straight Line has a different sound from the band’s earlier works.  It’s much softer and personal at points (“Mosquitos” and “Mother, Pray For Me”) and yet still leaves room to rock out with bouncy bangers like the title track, “No Joy” and “Take”.   The band manages to balance the juxtaposition of the more quiet and heartfelt with the somewhat noisier and harder edges found on the album.  Straight Line Was A Lie is proof positive that a successful band can grow and develop and change all while maintaining the integrity and upholding the attributes which formed the foundational sounds of their music to begin with.