The Beths
Straight Line Was a Lie
ANTI
“Linear progression is an illusion,” says vocalist/songwriter Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths, an oblique reference to the band’s new album, Straight Line Was a Lie. The suggestion is that there’s no way to sidle around life, no shortcut. You have to go through it, and even then, sometimes you feel like you’re right back where you started.
Written in Los Angeles, Stokes found herself wrestling with new material, the result of an SSRI, which gave her a sense of quasi-omnipotence — the ability to put Humpty Dumpty back together again — but was interfering with her creative process.
Stokes and creative partner guitarist Jonathan Pearce dismantled their usual process, using a typewriter, reading inspiring books like Stephen King’s On Writing, attending shows, watching Kurosawa films, and listening to Drive-By Truckers, The Go-Go’s, and Olivia Rodrigo.
In the end, Stokes elevated her songwriting to new heights, full of sharp insights and authentic vulnerability, while at the same time pushing the band’s sound in a slightly different direction, a tad slower and more basic.
The album begins with the title track, opening on a raw, tangy guitar, followed by flowing into a gleaming melody topped by softly glowing harmonies. The lyrics convey the nonlinear flow of life.
“I thought I was getting better / But I’m back to where I started / And the straight line was a circle / Yeah, the straight line was a lie.”
Entry points include the dark and gritty “No Joy,” with hints of surf-rock running through it, giving the melody a bouncy feel vaguely reminiscent of The Go-Go’s. A personal favorite because of its gentle, jangly guitars and Stokes’ delicately lustrous vocals, “Metal” delivers a mellow, pensive feeling. Layered harmonies suffuse the tune with subtle radiance.
The tender, expressive “Mother, Pray for Me,” travels on sparkling, chiming colors as Stokes muses on the divergent viewpoints of mothers and daughters. Stokes’ poignant voice reveals tints of regret and wistful yearning for something more balanced.
Another favorite because of its creamy, dreamy, slightly melancholic sensation, “Til My Heart Stops” mirrors the lost feelings of child-like wonder with experiences and relationships. “I wanna ride my bike in the rain.”
“Best Laid Plans” ties the album off, carrying listeners back to the thematic heart of the album, the idea that self-evolution and personal growth is more like a brachistochrone curve than a line, longer yet sometimes faster. But never what you planned.
With glittering, almost airbrushed surfaces, painted by Stokes’ silvery voice, Straight Line Was a Lie acknowledges the intricate complexities of life.
