Up next in 10
The Beths' Liz Stokes on their new album, songwriting inspo and getting props from Phoebe Bridgers
Feb 9, 2025
As New Zealand's The Beths release their third album, the stunning 'Expert In A Dying Field', we catch up with frontwoman Liz Stokes to hear more about its creation.
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0:00
foreign
0:04
outside
0:11
a restaurant that we're gonna eat some
0:13
dinner
0:15
brilliant so you're about to release
0:18
your third album experts in a dying
0:20
field which is the follow-up to 2020's
0:22
jump rope gazers
0:24
this time you've been able to release an
0:27
album and you know immediately get on
0:29
with promoting it and touring it
0:31
unencumbered by a pandemic
0:34
um how does it feel to have that freedom
0:35
again
0:37
it's pretty great
0:39
um yeah the the last album I released
0:42
was like that it came out in July of
0:45
2020 so it was a very
0:47
unique uh and peculiar way to I think
0:51
um release a record
0:53
um yeah so this time it's just been
0:55
great we've been really busy like
0:57
touring a lot since kind of February and
0:59
we started putting out uh singles from
1:02
the new record like a few months back
1:04
and it's been so great to be kind of on
1:08
the road and like put a song out and
1:10
then a couple of shows later people
1:11
already know the words like people
1:13
singing along and yeah it's it feels it
1:17
feels like it gives you a real sense of
1:18
purpose in a real tangible way which is
1:20
not to say that like people listening to
1:22
music
1:24
um you know very far away from you is
1:26
not also real but it just uh it just
1:28
feels it feels nice
1:31
approach that this writing for experts
1:34
in a dying field differently uh you know
1:36
knowing that the world was opening up
1:38
more so you know did you write some
1:40
songs with more of a live audience in
1:42
mind for instance
1:45
I'm
1:47
um it's good it's the back of my mind
1:49
and that was something that when we
1:50
actually got to the recording process
1:51
was was more front of Mind rather than
1:53
like when
1:54
when I'm writing I feel like yeah there
1:57
are things that I'm trying like trying
1:59
to aim for but mainly they're just like
2:01
to do with writing a good quality song
2:04
or like writing
2:05
fulfilling what I think are like
2:08
my objectives for songwriting or
2:10
something
2:11
um in terms of writing something that
2:13
that I really that I really like and
2:15
would want to listen to but yeah
2:17
definitely when we were like making
2:18
mission statements for like the album
2:20
that we were going to record and make
2:21
all together as a group that was one of
2:23
them is like make something that is fun
2:25
to to tour and not um
2:28
you know and not too miserable
2:32
well I think it definitely achieves that
2:35
um I mean you've got some of your most
2:37
you know ferociously paced music ever on
2:40
this record particularly in you know
2:42
silence is gold and for instance
2:44
um you know it's absolutely full of
2:46
energy uh tell me about the inspiration
2:48
for that song uh you know it's basically
2:51
from what I can tell from the lyrics You
2:53
lament in the kind of restless noise and
2:56
energy of a city but perhaps it's more
2:59
of a extended metaphor on on life
3:03
yeah it's like I think
3:08
It's tricky because like people have
3:10
yeah people have different
3:11
interpretations and I'm not like your
3:13
interpretation is wrong I think I prefer
3:14
that that people kind of like find their
3:16
own meaning in the song but I think for
3:18
me it kind of came from a place of um I
3:21
don't know I just kind of for me like
3:23
Stress and Anxiety can kind of manifest
3:24
sometimes as
3:27
um wanting like quiet and just like
3:31
more noise just making me more stressed
3:34
um and which is kind of an interesting
3:36
position to be in as a musician I feel
3:38
like because your life is nice
3:40
um yeah so I think it was just kind of
3:43
it just means that I think often when
3:45
I'm really stressed I think sometimes
3:46
also a thing is that I don't necessarily
3:49
gravitate to music to make me feel
3:53
um better when I'm in when I'm that kind
3:54
of like out of it or something if I find
3:58
sometimes it's I just need kind of quiet
4:01
do you think that's uh you know a case
4:04
of just getting older as well kind of
4:06
you know just appreciating the the peace
4:07
and quiet
4:09
maybe yeah it's a very unrock and roll
4:12
thing but then it was fun to make a song
4:15
that was kind of like about that and uh
4:18
but kind of more manifesting just the um
4:20
the chaos and the the kind of stress
4:24
part rather than the
4:26
quiet part
4:28
so 2 A.M is a really poignant closer to
4:31
the album uh lyrics such as 2 A.M we
4:35
were pounding the pavement and I wonder
4:37
could we be that way again still awake
4:39
talking late in the kitchen I find that
4:41
those lyrics are really Vivid
4:42
uh it's one of the many moments where it
4:46
sounds like you're combing over a failed
4:48
relationship
4:50
um is this one of romantic love or a
4:52
friendship breakdown I just was
4:54
wondering if you could expand on that
4:57
um
4:58
such a good very specific because uh you
5:01
know
5:02
it's that's just
5:04
um retelling true stories about about
5:06
your life that you're not the only uh
5:08
character and
5:10
but um yeah I feel like it was it was
5:12
like a particular time uh where like I
5:15
was
5:16
I don't know um
5:18
just like close with with people and
5:20
like it's maybe the the like
5:24
the bright line between like romantic
5:26
and friendship or something didn't seem
5:29
so bright and um I don't know there was
5:32
just like I feel the real closeness to
5:34
just like
5:36
uh people around me and yeah I think I I
5:40
I think I wrote that song like in the
5:42
middle of the night and just I think it
5:43
was just like thinking about
5:45
thinking about that and
5:48
um
5:49
it just kind of like drew me back to a
5:51
particular kind of time in my life when
5:53
I was I think I was on my on my own for
5:54
the first time it was like
5:57
um living
5:59
I don't know just like I was single for
6:00
this time a long time and having to
6:02
figure out like what kind of person I
6:05
was uh on my own and I'm just rambling
6:08
now
6:12
especially like people have probably
6:14
gotten a similar
6:16
um timeline
6:17
in their lives maybe and uh
6:21
yeah I was just kind of like ruminating
6:23
on that time
6:25
would you say
6:26
all or most of your lyrics are
6:29
autobiographical in in some respect
6:33
they seem that they're very often
6:35
biographical to me anyway
6:37
yeah they are I kind of wish that they
6:39
weren't
6:40
um because I feel like it really opens
6:42
up with uh your songwriting capabilities
6:44
when you can write about uh anything you
6:47
want but um
6:48
yeah they definitely all start
6:50
autobiographical but you know they blend
6:52
it's like it's like a saying of like
6:54
they've let the truth get in the way of
6:56
a good story I feel like more the song
6:58
it's kind of similar like they all start
6:59
with the kernel of
7:01
oh kernel of Bio
7:03
um would you call it biographic a
7:05
biographic kernel but then sometimes
7:07
you like blend stories or like sometimes
7:10
I'll you know I'll break from the
7:12
perspective of
7:14
like a good friend of mine or
7:16
um of the person that I'm addressing or
7:18
something and you know because at the
7:20
end of the day you also want to be
7:21
making it you're making you're crafting
7:24
a song and um
7:27
you know it doesn't feel like it feels
7:29
more like a film than a documentary
7:33
um and how does it feel to be known as
7:35
one of auckland's and I mean I suppose
7:37
New Zealand's most sort of exciting
7:39
loved exports you know anecdotally the
7:42
reception you get here in the UK is
7:45
great and I've got lots of friends who
7:46
you know hugely dig your music
7:49
do you feel a certain pressure to kind
7:51
of you know represent New Zealand and
7:53
keep that momentum going because
7:55
I feel like it can be a country that
7:58
people perhaps can't name as many
8:00
musical acts from
8:02
um just again anecdotally speaking to
8:04
friends you know they don't have loads
8:06
of kiwi bands on their radar
8:09
yeah sure it's a small country it's like
8:12
five million people
8:14
um
8:15
uh maybe five and a half
8:17
so yeah it's I feel like and that in
8:20
those terms I feel like we we bet above
8:22
our weight considering how few of us
8:24
there are but um
8:26
it feels good like I we like being from
8:30
there like we're touring is fun for us I
8:32
feel like people don't have a lot of
8:33
baggage about new zealanders or
8:36
something and they're just like oh Lord
8:38
of the Rings they're like ah Flight of
8:40
the Concords and you're like I like both
8:41
of those things so I'm I'm fine with
8:43
that
8:45
oh I was reading your album credits and
8:47
I was curious there's quite a lot of use
8:50
of the the Maori names like I can never
8:53
pronounce this sorry yeah
8:57
are you trying to be respectful or is
9:00
that kind of normal practice among kiwis
9:02
to use the the Maori equivalent when you
9:04
when you're talking about countries and
9:06
the country
9:07
Altera and New Zealand yeah it's um it's
9:10
it's I guess it's tricky to explain I
9:12
guess because because we're a colonized
9:14
country
9:15
um so there's
9:17
an attempt even in the mainstream which
9:19
I think is something that like maybe
9:21
isn't
9:23
um the case elsewhere
9:24
um even in the mainstream of New Zealand
9:26
there is a uh
9:28
a solid like uh push and to
9:32
um
9:32
to make like use of the Maori language
9:34
which is that Maori people are the
9:36
indigenous people in New Zealand um and
9:38
I have to be careful because like I'm
9:40
I'm talking for for for a culture that I
9:43
don't belong to but like um and there's
9:45
still obviously a long way to go but
9:46
I've um but yeah it's it's part of that
9:49
in New Zealand it manifests as like um
9:51
using the language it's like right now
9:53
it's tiwiki or Mori it's the it's Maori
9:55
language week in New Zealand and there's
9:57
a real question maybe it's similar to
10:00
like I guess you're in the UK like
10:01
similar to like in Wales where like
10:03
there's a there's a real push culturally
10:04
to be using the language and especially
10:06
to
10:08
um make sure that the uh that that the
10:12
people like the more people who you know
10:14
only a couple Generations ago would have
10:16
had literally the language beaten out of
10:17
them um
10:18
uh are kind of like able to access it
10:21
again and
10:22
um because this is such a huge part of
10:24
the culture again
10:25
um where am I talking here but I just um
10:28
yeah it's it's but part of the culture
10:31
of is it honors to um
10:33
you know be incorporating the language
10:36
more into everyday life no not that's
10:39
that's interesting and it's good it's
10:40
good to hear definitely
10:43
um Phoebe Bridges has described your
10:45
music as bringing her unbridled Joy
10:48
um how does it feel to have an artist as
10:50
big as that you know giving you shout
10:52
outs like that
10:54
uh it's nice I I think she's such a
10:59
great song really it feels like a great
11:01
compliment and uh
11:03
uh yeah I I don't I don't know what else
11:06
to say it's pretty it feels pretty good
11:08
you've met her before
11:10
uh no no
11:13
wow um maybe one day maybe one day
11:15
she'll come to New Zealand we can we can
11:17
uh climb a volcano together or something
11:22
so how do you want um experts in a dying
11:25
field to make people feel when they
11:27
press play
11:31
I want
11:33
um I don't know I guess I want it to
11:35
feel like a
11:37
like a book that you enjoy and can read
11:40
uh read again and
11:43
um kind of keep leafing through
11:45
and the Highlight bits that you like
11:48
from or something
11:49
I yeah I wanted to feel like a
11:54
a comfortable friend
11:56
brilliant and what kind of Acts were you
12:00
listening to while writing this record
12:02
was there any particular
12:04
big Inspirations for it
12:07
yeah I guess it's like
12:09
it's hard to like narrow things down
12:12
that way but I guess
12:14
compared to like the first two records
12:16
there's more like influence of uh
12:20
there's a band called uh Brisa creating
12:23
cake that I really like this has been
12:26
um I like there's a song that's like a
12:28
bit folk Punk like we're a big Jeffrey
12:30
Lewis fans they're really like
12:32
um that kind of like
12:34
style and I love the songwriting it's so
12:36
great and
12:38
um
12:39
what else because
12:41
there's like a bit of like Radio rock
12:43
kind of um Vibes like uh when you know
12:46
your nose but that kind of Kemper like
12:49
Teenage Dirtbag or something but also we
12:51
listen to a lot of like crowded house
12:52
because we played those shows with him
12:54
earlier last year and it's just the
12:57
songwriting is just so beautiful
12:59
um
12:59
yeah like so it's always a lot of
13:01
different things but um
13:03
those are some that kind of stick out a
13:05
little
13:06
wait when you think Back to Future me
13:08
hates me and and jump right gaze as your
13:10
first two albums you know when you're
13:13
thinking about those
13:14
do you feel like this is your strongest
13:16
record where where do you stand with it
13:21
um because I think it is you know like I
13:25
feel like rank rank your albums okay
13:27
I'll do it um I just think it's great I
13:30
think it's really good like I'm really
13:31
proud of it like a
13:33
I think we've managed to make something
13:35
really good and and uh
13:37
I'll rank it number one go on yes let's
13:40
do it we're in agreement
13:43
so moving away from moving away from the
13:46
album chat um I'm just curious you know
13:49
a band of your size are you in a
13:51
position and perhaps you have been for a
13:53
while that you know this is your your
13:55
full-time job it's it's your full-time
13:57
Focus or you still have to
13:59
working with other teams elsewhere
14:03
yeah this is we've managed to make it
14:05
our full-time job but
14:08
uh I said it's full-time it's not paying
14:10
a full-time salary but uh we yeah the
14:15
the four of us for the last
14:17
couple years have been like mainly
14:19
focusing on this with like some other
14:20
things like you know freelance work you
14:22
should check it out and during the
14:23
pandemic was you know you were home a
14:25
lot so
14:26
yeah
14:28
what would freelance work be like
14:30
songwriting for other people or
14:33
um
14:34
well for for me it's I wasn't doing
14:38
anything else I was just doing this
14:39
because but it's because uh in New
14:42
Zealand we had we were lucky in the
14:43
breaks um uh when we had like lockdowns
14:47
and stuff we had some government support
14:48
so like that was able to kind of keep
14:52
getting paid to do my job which is uh
14:55
which was this
14:57
um but yeah for John it's like John will
14:59
produce records for other people or um
15:01
things like that and recording and that
15:04
kind of um production stuff and Tristan
15:08
was doing a bit of piece of teacher so
15:10
he was doing some relief teaching and
15:13
Tristan uh would have been doing some
15:15
some filling and teaching as well and if
15:17
there was like lawn mowing for filling
15:19
in for his dad his dad's mom landscaper
15:24
so the interest of our viewers by the
15:26
way uh John is guitarist focus and
15:28
keyboardist and Tristan is your drummer
15:31
and vocalist he always was a bit
15:33
Overkill to ask this when you know
15:35
you're just about to release your new
15:36
album but have you started working on
15:38
your next record
15:40
I haven't uh I haven't yet I will as
15:46
soon as uh
15:48
as soon as I get the the time it's been
15:50
it's been pretty non-stop like since we
15:51
handed in this record we've basically
15:53
been touring
15:54
Non-Stop and so uh we have
15:57
yeah once this we have a bit of time
15:59
over the summer so I'll we'll I'll catch
16:01
my breath and then maybe um start
16:05
I don't know start writing I guess yeah
16:08
do you have any feelings right now I
16:10
mean again it's probably too early to
16:12
ask of of where thematically or or
16:16
sonically you might want to take the
16:17
next record will it be kind of
16:20
uh if it ain't broke don't fix it
16:23
approach you know you've got your lovely
16:25
four-part harmonies and your power pop
16:27
and you know your Indie Drive behind all
16:30
the all the songs you write but can you
16:32
see yourself doing any kind of
16:34
huge I don't know development curveball
16:37
with what's what's coming
16:40
I don't know what it's a good question
16:41
like I I we have to do some kind of
16:44
thinking and talking because we ask you
16:45
ask these questions before you make a
16:47
third record too you're like okay we've
16:48
made two records
16:50
the third one do you what do you want to
16:52
do something really different and we
16:54
kind of were like
16:56
no I think we wanted to make something
16:57
that was
16:58
you know like still exploring new things
17:00
and like still like as good as we could
17:03
possibly make it but we weren't like
17:04
let's make a synth record you know like
17:08
um it was it was still like let's make a
17:10
a best record but like as good as we can
17:12
make it but yeah like a fourth Freight
17:13
but it's like well now we've made three
17:15
albums
17:16
it does kind of feel like maybe you have
17:18
to start I don't know try something
17:20
different but I don't know maybe maybe
17:23
you fight that maybe you do something
17:25
really different that people don't like
17:27
on the fourth record and then you make a
17:28
really good just very good and it's like
17:30
yeah you get the journey
17:34
but I think you're very good at what you
17:36
do and I I would happily hear more of
17:41
um
17:42
yeah so what's next for the band could
17:44
you just briefly tell us what gigs
17:47
you've got coming up where you're headed
17:49
next
17:51
uh well we're in Australia at the moment
17:53
so you know any Australians
17:56
um come along it should be fun and uh
18:00
then we're we'll be heading home and
18:01
doing a big New Zealand tour which is
18:04
great always nice to do kind of a
18:05
homecoming one and then yeah we have a
18:08
bit of break over summer um it's our
18:09
summer winter for you
18:11
um but
18:13
yeah we're back into it from from kind
18:15
of early 2023 back touring well I
18:18
promise we'll be back in the UK uh in
18:20
2023
18:22
um and it will be really fun fantastic
18:35
um
18:37
I don't know thank you thank you for
18:39
having me and um
18:41
yeah it's it's been a pledge by our
18:44
album buy our album
18:47
yeah
18:49
follow us on socials for some reason we
18:52
have uh we we sell a decent amount of
18:55
Records which is great and uh but we for
18:58
some reason don't uh have as many likes
19:01
on socials which is often what people
19:02
use as a metric for the band doing well
19:04
so yeah give us a token like yes
19:08
brilliant okay well I think dinner is
19:11
calling for you so I'll let you go thank
19:13
you very much for uh for chatting to me
19:15
Liz and um yeah best of luck
19:20
cheers thank you bye bye
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