10 February 2022 - 0 Comments

Ivy League Records is incredibly proud to announce the signing of The Beths, who join the likes of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Hatchie, A. Swayze & the Ghosts, The Rubens, The Teskey Brothers, Bakers Eddy and more on the label’s roster. To coincide with the announce, the band have dropped their new single A Real Thing, their first new song since the release of their award winning second album, 2020’s Jump Rope Gazers.

“A Real Thing is a kind of anxiety dream. It's a bit muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister,” says lead singer Liz Stokes. Stokes wrote A Real Thing in late 2020, following the elections in New Zealand and the U.S., attempting to reach for optimism about the future, but ultimately playing more apocalyptic scenarios of climate change in her head. Stokes' lyrics include specific references to how New Zealand has dealt with sea level rise in the past: "In NZ people sometimes use tyres and cement to build retaining walls by the water, to try to stop the land being eroded away as the sea encroaches. It doesn't really work." It’s a poignant image for a band that has had to navigate the constant changes in our present moment.

The deep bond between Stokes, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck has allowed them to overcome challenging circumstances and that’s present in the upbeat urgency of A Real Thing. It’s palpable from the very start and paired with the band’s signature bright, raucous guitar hooks and cooing harmonies, the song races and soars, much like an increasing heart rate. The Beths' infectious and insightful songwriting on A Real Thing is an exciting marker of more excellent work to come.

A Real Thing comes as The Beths begin their long-awaited 17-date North American headline tour and ahead of their sold-out Australian tour, with shows taking place at Sydney’s Factory Theatre (Thu 10 Mar), Brisbane’s The Zoo (Fri 11 Mar) and Melbourne’s The Night Cat (Sat 12 Mar).

The Beths first caught the attention of music lovers and critics across the globe with their 2018 breakthrough debut album, Future Me Hates Me, a masterful and energetic indie-gem lauded by the likes of Pitchfork (“one of the most impressive indie-rock debuts of the year”) and Rolling Stone US (4/5), championed at radio by KEXP, BBC 6Music, triple j, Sirius XMU and featured on countless best-of-2018 lists. Their anticipated follow-up, 2020’s Jump Rope Gazers, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s New Artist Alt Chart and #54 on the Billboard Top 200. It was praised by the likes of Stereogum, Vulture, Rolling Stone and NME and garnered widespread radio support, both internationally and across Australasian community radio.

Across their career, The Beths have been widely awarded, with three APRA Silver Scroll nominations (Finalists in 2018, 2019 and 2021), two Taite Prize nominations (2019, 2021), a Levi’s Music Prize win (2020), two New Zealand Music Awards wins (2019: Best Group, Best Alternative Artist) and three Aotearoa Music Awards wins (2020: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Alternative Artist). The band has played countless sold-out tours across the world and graced festival line-ups at Pukkelpop, The Great Escape, SXSW, Primavera, Splendour in the Grass, Latitude Festival and more. Last year, the band released Auckland, New Zealand, 2020, a live concert recorded at The Auckland Town Hall that showcased the infectious energy The Beths bring to every performance, and what audiences have been so dearly missing.

THE BETHS
Australian Headline Tour - Mar 2022

Thu 10 Mar – Sydney, NSW @ Factory Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Fri 11 Mar – Brisbane, QLD @ The Zoo (SOLD OUT)
Sat 12 Mar – Melbourne, VIC @ The Night Cat (SOLD OUT)

Photo Credit: Frances Carter

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