The Beths : Straight Line Was a Lie
The Beths are always ready and waiting to provide an intelligent and catchy soundtrack to the many trials and tribulations that life likes to pelt us with, be it crushing break-ups, a crippling fear of intimacy, or just a general sense of indefinable, world-weary angst. Straight Line Was A Lie, their fourth album, gives us a new conceptual lens through which to study this familiar territory. In addition to offering tales about the complexity of modern life and human relationships, here the band also sets about to challenge the idea that such a thing as linear progress even exists at all.
What is new, however, is The Beths’ approach to their sound. Straight Line Was A Lie sees them step away from the fuzzy, garage-rock tones that defined their first three records and into a cleaner, pop-rock vibe that wouldn’t sound too out of place alongside some of the indie mainstays of the early 2010s. While keeping a firm grasp on a certain direct, rough sincerity that seems to be one of The Beths’ defining features, this record sees definite splashes of groups like Foals or even the early sound of The 1975 popping up from time to time.
It’s a subtle shifting of musical gears, and when it works, it works well. Album closer “Best Laid Plans” is the strongest example, with warm guitar twang and a lolloping bassline coasting over a funky, post-punk rhythm. It evokes both nostalgia and excitement—safety and thrill—that wrap up the difficult themes of the album with an admirable effortlessness. “Ark Of The Covenant” is another track especially worthy of attention, with its chorus drenched in a glitchy, squealing reverb that sounds genuinely eerie and sinister.
There are moments here and there that feel a little undercooked, a little lacking in the bounce or emotion present during the album’s higher points. And elsewhere, some can even feel bloated—a couple of songs, like “Roundabout,” or even the title track, feel perhaps just one chorus too long. Yet these are the exceptions, and drifting away from grungy urgency to a prettier, cleaner sound is a risk that’s absolutely paid off, providing the second component of what makes Straight Line Was A Lie so compelling—the lyrics—with an absolutely wonderful pedestal. The way that the band has blended the words and the music together serves to heighten the emotionality of both; the chorus to “Metal,” for example (“I’m a collaboration / Bacteria, carbon, and light / A florid orchestration / A recipe of fortune and time”) manages to fit a quite beautifully-phrased existential epiphany into what first appears to simply be a cute, upbeat pop song. The twee, ‘60s-style harmonies in “Roundabout” are smartly offset by a slightly more mature attitude to the love song as singer Elizabeth Stokes invites the object of her affection to never change “unless you want to.”
“Mother, Pray For Me,” the closest thing the album has to straightforward poetry, consisting only of Stokes’ vocals and a minimalistic but scintillating guitar riff, is nonetheless the record’s most emotionally affecting track through its lyrics that convey the respect Stokes carries for her mother while at the same time expressing her struggle to relate to her. It’s this ability to write with both unflinching depth and sparkling clarity that acts as the indispensable binding agent for Straight Line Was A Lie, keeping the emotional core of the album burning brightly even when some of the musical aspects that orbit it ease up on the punch.
Label: Anti-
Year: 2025
Similar Albums:
The Beths : Straight Line Was a Lie
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
