The Beths are a New Zealand

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band, formed in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

in 2014. The group principally consists of lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck. Meeting at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, the band signed to Carpark Records in 2018, where they have released the albums '' Future Me Hates Me'' (2018), '' Jump Rope Gazers'' (2020), and '' Expert in a Dying Field'' (2022). They have toured internationally with

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...

and received praise from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' and ''Pitchfork''.

History

Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce originally met in high school, and they met both Benjamin Sinclair and Ivan Luketina-Johnston when all four attended classes at the

, studying

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. Prior to The Beths, Luketina-Johnston was performing swing under the moniker of Sal Valentine. Stokes, Pearce and Sinclair were all a part of his backing band, The Babyshakes, for various tenures. The Beths were formed in late 2014 and released their first single "Idea/Intent" via

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

in July 2015. Stokes said that she named the band using her own name, after being inspired by ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American Comedy drama, comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and beca ...

'' character

Lorelai Gilmore Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in The WB dramedy television series ''Gilmore Girls''. Portrayed by actress Lauren Graham, she appeared in every episode of the show from the pilot in 2000 to the series finale in 2007. Lorelai ...

naming her daughter after herself. In March 2016, the band independently released their debut EP, ''Warm Blood''. The EP spawned a single, "Whatever," which was released with an accompanying music video in May 2016. The Beths have received financial support from the

NZ on Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

and NZ Music Commission. In September 2015, the band received money to make the single and video for "Whatever" from NZ on Air. In May 2016, NZ on Air funded a video for "Lying in the Sun". Through their Outward Sound program, the NZ Music Commission funded three tours as part of their international music market development grants. A new single, "Great No One," was released in October 2017. The song was the first to be lifted from the band's debut album, '' Future Me Hates Me''. Prior to the album's release in 2018, the band announced their signing to Carpark Records in the US (who also reissued ''Warm Blood'' internationally) and to

Dew Process Dew Process is an Australian independent record label, based in Brisbane, Queensland, founded and owned by Australian music industry figure Paul Piticco. Operational The label operates in two primary areas: traditional development of Australi ...

in Australia. The album was released globally on 10 August 2018, followed by an international tour supporting the release. The title track was nominated as one of five finalists for the 2018 Silver Scroll award in New Zealand. In 2018, Luketina-Johnston permanently departed from the band to focus on Sal Valentine. In November 2018, the band announced the forthcoming release of a new seven-inch, ''

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. I ...

''. The vinyl features the band's cover of the traditional title track, as well as a demo version of their song "Happy Unhappy." "Happy Unhappy" was named 2018 ''

'' magazine

song of the summer Song of the summer is the unofficial designation of the song that is dominant both culturally and commercially between the end of May and the beginning of September in a given year. Although the idea of a song of the summer had been around for years ...

. In early 2019, the band undertook a tour of the UK and Europe supporting

. Their second studio album '' Jump Rope Gazers'' was released in July 2020. On 13 June 2022, the single "Silence Is Golden" was released with the announcement of their third album, '' Expert in a Dying Field'', which was released on 16 September 2022.

Musical style

The band is known for its use of

vocal harmony Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical c ...

, using the voices of all four band members. Members of the band have cited

Alvvays Alvvays (pronounced "always") is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin (vocals and guitar), Kerri MacLellan (keyboa ...

and Bully as inspirations for their work.

Band members

Current members

* Elizabeth Stokes – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2014–present) * Jonathan Pearce –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

(2014–present) * Benjamin Sinclair – bass, backing vocals (2014–2018, 2018–present) * Tristan Deck – drums, backing vocals,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

(2019–present; touring member 2018–2019)

Former members

* Ivan Luketina-Johnston – drums, backing vocals, percussion (2014–2018)

Former touring musicians

* Katie Everingham – drums, backing vocals (2018) * Chris Pearce – bass, backing vocals (2018) * Adam Tobeck – drums, backing vocals, percussion (2018)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

Music videos

References

External links

*
The Beths
at Carpark Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Beths 2015 establishments in New Zealand New Zealand indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2015 Musical groups from Auckland Dew Process artists Carpark Records artists