The Beths Expert in a Dying Field

The Beths to release a deluxe edition of “Expert in a Dying Field” on September 15, 2023.

The Beths — “one of the greatest indie-rock bands of their time” (Rolling Stone) — announce Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), out September 15th on Carpark Records, and present the new single, “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic).” Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expands upon the brilliance of The Beths’ acclaimed 2022 album, “another collection of tunes that cements their status as one of the great guitar-pop bands of this present moment” (Stereogum), with three demos, two acoustic renditions, and the inclusion of previously shared standalone singles “A Real Thing” and “Watching The Credits.” The latter has already been deemed one of 2023’s best songs by Rolling Stone and Paste, who praised “Watching The Credits” as “a terrific, heat-seeking missile of glittering guitars and steadfast percussion work” that “speaks to how they endure as one of the most exciting rock bands in the world right now.”

Later this week, The Beths (and their beloved inflatable fish) will take to the U.K. for a string of select festivals and headline dates. Shortly after, they will return to North America for a full, almost entirely sold out tour including dates supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. The Beths will also headline three nights at Los Angeles’ Lodge Room (surrounding their sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl supporting Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service), plus three nights at New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Listen to “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)”

Expert In A Dying Field, the third studio album from The Beths, was released to a wealth of critical praise, and was named one of 2022’s best releases by the likes of Pitchfork, The Ringer, Stereogum and more. Surrounding its release, The Beths were profiled by Rolling Stone, Document Journal, The Big Takeover and more, and made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning. The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.

Pre-order Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe)

Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) Tracklist

1. Expert In A Dying Field

2. Knees Deep

3. Silence Is Golden

4. Your Side

5. I Want To Listen

6. Head In The Clouds

7. Best Left

8. Change In The Weather

9. When You Know You Know

10. A Passing Rain

11. I Told You That I Was Afraid

12. 2am

13. I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)

14. When You Know You Know (Acoustic)

15. A Real Thing

16. Watching The Credits

17. Keep The Distance (Demo)

18. Expert In A Dying Field (Demo)

19. I Want To Listen (Demo)

20. 2am (Demo)

The Beths Tour Dates (New Dates In Bold):

Fri. July 14 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko

Sat. July 15 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Sun. July 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival

Tue. July 18 – Liverpool, UK @ Hangar 34

Wed. July 19 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Boiler Shop

Fri. July 21 – Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival

Sat. July 22 – Steventon, UK @ Truck Festival

Sun. July 23 – Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival

Fri. July 28 – Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

Sat. July 29 – Omaha, NE @ Maha Festival

Tue. Aug. 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Aug. 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia *

Thu. Aug. 3 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *

Fri. Aug. 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre

Sat. Aug. 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Aug. 7 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *

Tue. Aug. 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee *

Wed. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *

Fri. Aug. 11 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 12 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *

Tue. Aug. 15 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater *

Wed. Aug. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *

Thu. Aug. 17 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Aug. 18 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 19 – Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival

Mon. Aug. 21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater

Tue. Aug. 22 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe

Thu. Aug. 24 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed #

Fri. Aug. 25 – Abiquiu, NM @ Ghost Ranch Festival ^

Sun. Aug. 27 – Seattle, WA @ THING

Sat. Sep. 30 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^

Sun. Oct. 1 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre ^

Tue. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^ [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Oct. 9 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Tue. Oct. 10 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 11 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Thu. Oct. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Fri. Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room [SOLD OUT]

Sun. Oct. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Tue. Oct. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Wed. Oct. 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Thu. Oct. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [SOLD OUT]

* w/ The National

^ w/ Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service

# w/ Beach Bunny

Watch The Beths’ Tiny Desk Concert

Watch The Beths on CBS Saturday Morning:

“Expert In A Dying Field”

“When You Know You Know”

“Your Side”

Purchase Expert In A Dying Field

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Review: The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field

According to the liner notes of The Beths‘ new album, Expert in a Dying Field, the theme of the album can be summed up in one question: “What do you do with how intimately versed you’ve become in a person, once they’re gone from your life?”

As a widower of nearly a year, I can relate to that. We all can at some point or another, be it a spouse, a lover, a friend, a child who leaves for college, a pet, a coworker, or even a trusted neighbor. The album is a lovely, and rocking, story crafted lyrically by Elizabeth Stokes (guitar and lead vocals) and her bandmates, Tristan Deck (drums), Jonathan Pierce (lead guitar and keyboards), and Benjamin Sinclair (bass).

“Can we erase our history? It isn’t as easy as this,” Stokes sings on the opening title track. It’s not. Letting go of that history is hard, but the risk of holding onto it is being dragged to death. The song has a slight melancholy to it, but also a lot of hope. “Knees Deep” is, after all, about jumping into something new with both feet and braving the risks of adventure (and love). Pierce’s guitar fuzzes out on “Silence Is Golden” – a nice, ironic touch.

“Don’t cry. I’m driving all night to be by your side,” Stokes sings on the lovely “Your Side.” To feel this kind of love, where you’re willing to drive cross-state or even cross-country for even just a few hours with someone, is a gift to be treasured. “It’s been quite a year,” The Beths sing on “I Want to Listen.” That’s a mild way of putting it for certain, but they encourage us to reach out to each other to help us all heal.

“Head in the Clouds” is a great rocker, with Deck’s drums hitting hard for the seats in the back of the auditorium. “Best Left” continues the rocking, even as Stokes sings about her being miserable and feeling she’s “best left to rot.” “Change in the Weather” has her feeling better, and “When You Know You Know” has her thinking that love might still be in the cards for her, and for all of us.

Stokes and the rest of the band have a bit of an angry edge on “A Passing Rain” – in which Stokes calls out someone for sticking around to seemingly just make her like worse. I love the way they jump back and forth between silence and breakneck rhythms on “I Told You That I Was Afraid.” “2am” has Stokes wondering if she could return to a simpler time with a lover, but knowing that moment, like all moments in time, is already gone…and yet it still exists in the present.

The whole album is like this – a look back at the past through the lens of the present, which is truly the only way to see it since the past took place in the present. Expert in a Dying Field is a bit of a Zen koan, a lesson on letting go or being dragged.

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The Beths are “Knees Deep” in riffs on their new single.

The Beths present the new single, “Knees Deep,” from their forthcoming album, Expert In A Dying Field, out September 16th on Carpark Records, and announce a 2023 North American headline tour. Expert In A Dying Field is a capsule of The Beths’ most electrifying and exciting output, a full spectrum of their sonic capabilities. “Knees Deep” was a last minute addition to the record and features one of Expert In A Dying Field’s best guitar lines, courtesy of guitarist Jonathan Pearce.

Liz Stokes adds: “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.”

Watch “Knees Deep” Video by The Beths

Expert In A Dying Field, the third LP from the New Zealand quartet The Beths, houses 12 jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that worm their way into your head, an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun – to hear, to play – in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope. Expert is an extension of the same sonic palette the band has built across their catalog, pop hooks embedded in incisive indie rock.

Stream/Watch:
“Expert In A Dying Field”
“Silence Is Golden”

The Beths Tour Dates
(Tickets available at thebeths.com) (new dates in bold)
Sat. Aug. 20 – Covington, KY (Cincinnati) @ Madison Live
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
Wed. Mar. 8 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
Fri. Mar. 10 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
Sat. Mar. 11 – Dallas, TX @ Tulips
Tue. Mar. 14 – Denver, CO @ Summit
Thu. Mar. 16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Mar. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
Sat. Mar. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

The Beths release the title track to their upcoming album, “Expert in a Dying Field.”

The Beths share the new single/video, “Expert In A Dying Field,” from their new album, Expert In A Dying Field, out September 16th on Carpark Records. “Expert In A Dying Field” introduces the thesis for the record: “How does it feel to be an expert in a dying field? How do you know it’s over when you can’t let go?” Elizabeth Stokes sings. The question hangs in the air: what do you do with how intimately versed you’ve become in a person, once they’re gone from your life? “Love is learned over time ‘till you’re an expert in a dying field.”

“I really do believe that love is learned over time,” explains Stokes. “In the course of knowing a person you accumulate so much information: their favorite movies, how they take their tea, how to make them laugh, how that makes you feel. And when relationships between people change, or end, all that knowledge doesn’t just disappear. The phrase ‘Expert in a Dying Field’ had been floating around my head for a few years, I was glad to finally capture it when writing this tune.”

Watch “Expert In A Dying Field”

Densely littered with melodic hooks and the incisive phrasing that Stokes has become known for, the driving verses of “Expert In A Dying Field” intentionally contrast with a restrained, delicate chorus. Here, the stripped-back instrumentation acutely hones in on Stokes’ emotive vocals. The accompanying video, directed by Frances Carter, honors this intimacy and vulnerability. Carefully placed relics and symbolic totems strewn about a charming, white-washed home evoke a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. While Stokes sings directly to the camera, her bandmates play their instruments and sing backing vocals in various parts of the home, surrounded by treasures laden with meaning and memory. It’s an evocative series of vignettes that perfectly match the song’s bittersweet themes and culminates in a joyful, heart-stirring full band performance that shows off The Beths’ unparallelled four-part vocal harmonies.

On Expert In A Dying Field, Stokes’ songwriting positions her somewhere between novelist and documentarian. Across 12 tight, guitar-heavy jewels, Stokes traverses the autobiographical, but also presents character sketches of relationships – platonic, familial, romantic – and more importantly, their aftermaths.

Expert In A Dying Field is an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz, filled with songs that worm their way into your head. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun — to hear, to play — in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope. Expert is an extension of the same sonic palette the band has built across their catalog, pop hooks embedded in incisive indie rock.

Watch:
“Expert In A Dying Field”
“Silence Is Golden”

Pre-order Expert In A Dying Field

The Beths Tour Dates

Tickets available from thebeths.com
Sun. Jul. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Capitol Hill Block Party
Mon. Jul. 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Fri. Jul. 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
Sun. Jul. 31 – Denver, CO @ UMS – The Underground Music Showcase
Tue. Aug. 2 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Wed. Aug. 3 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
Thu. Aug. 4 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SoHo Restaurant & Music Club
Fri. Aug. 5 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Music Festival
Sun. Aug. 7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Wed. Aug. 10 – Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
Thu. Aug. 11 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Sat. Aug. 13 – North Adams, MA @ Here and There Festival, Mass MoCA
Sun. Aug. 14 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace

Mon. Aug. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag
Tue. Aug. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Here and There Festival, Salt Shed
Thu. Aug. 18 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill
Fri. Aug. 19 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
Sat. Aug. 20 – Covington, KY (Cincinnati) @ Madison Live
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 & Events
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

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]