By Angie Martoccio
The Beths have returned with the shimmering new single “Metal” and announced a North American headlining tour.
The new track basks in jangle rock, as singer Elizabeth Stokes sings, “So you need the metal in your blood to keep you alive” alongside Jonathan Pearce’s bright 12-string guitar. “I think we ended up with an arrangement that embodies the frenetic intricacy of an engine in action,” Stokes said in a statement. “There’s a lot going on, until there isn’t.” Watch the video below, where the New Zealand rockers forage in blue raincoats and encounter some adorable cows.
“Metal” was written amid the band’s rigorous touring schedules and some health struggles for Stokes. “In some ways, ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body,” she said. “That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few years, where I have been on what one might call a ‘health journey’. I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.”
She continued: “I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit’. Or ‘ugly’. Or ‘worthless’. I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no’. And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”
The news of the single arrives after Stokes’ recent solo show at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles, which featured guest appearances by Courtney Barnett and Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie. “Metal” marks a new era for the band, who recently signed to ANTI-. It’s their first new music since 2023, when they dropped the deluxe edition of their excellent album Expert In A Dying Field, released the year prior.
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The Beths — Stokes, Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck — will embark on a North American headlining tour this fall. Following their trek through Europe, the band will kick off in Asheville, NC on Oct. 30. They’ll hit major cities across the U.S., including L.A. (Nov. 7), Chicago (Nov. 23), and Brooklyn (Dec. 5).
McKenzie, Illuminati Hotties, Squirrel Flower, and Phoebe Rings will support the tour. Tickets go on sale on May 2.
The Beths North American Tour Dates
Thu. Oct. 30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Fri. Oct. 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Sat. Nov 1 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
Mon. Nov. 3 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory
Tue. Nov. 4 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Thu. Nov. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Fri. Nov. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Sat. Nov. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Wed. Nov. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Fri. Nov. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre
Sun. Nov. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
Wed. Nov. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Fri. Nov. 21 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Sat. Nov. 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Sun. Nov. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor)
Tue. Nov 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron
Wed. Nov. 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
Fri. Nov. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Sat. Nov. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre
Tue. Dec. 2 – Boston, MA @ Royale
Wed. Dec. 3 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall
Fri. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
Sat. Dec. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Tue. Dec. 9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
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