{"id":343555,"date":"2025-10-30T16:46:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T16:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/343555\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T16:46:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T16:46:12","slug":"the-beths-travel-the-crooked-road-of-healing-on-straight-line-was-a-lie-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/343555\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beths travel the crooked road of healing on \u2018Straight Line Was a Lie\u2019 \u2013 Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/entertainment\/music\/story\/2023-12-01\/jenny-lewis-celebrates-survival-and-growth-in-her-joyall-ball-concert-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> indie-rock<\/a> quartet The Beths wrapped their recent summer run through the U.K. and Europe, vocalist-guitarist Liz Stokes was still processing what she calls a \u201cnightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>About a third of the way through the tour, after crossing from Ireland into France, the New Zealand band woke to discover their instruments had been stolen from the van.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was tough,\u201d Stokes recalls, speaking from home in Auckland during a rare week off before the band heads back out for a six-week U.S. trek. \u201cBut people were so kind, they lent us gear so we could keep playing. We didn\u2019t have to cancel any shows. Touring\u2019s hard enough as it is, but those performances always fill your cup. They make the hard days feel worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sense of persistence \u2014rallying through chaos, finding light in exhaustion \u2014has become The Beths\u2019 superpower.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mng-gallery-initialized mng-gallery-slider\">\n<li data-index=\"1\" class=\"mng-ge mng-gallery-active\" id=\"mng-ge-0\" aria-hidden=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern...\" class=\"size-article_inline\"  \/>\n<p>The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern on Nov. 7.<br \/>\n(Photo by Frances Carter)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"2\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LDN-L-THEBETHS-1031-02.jpg\" \/>\n<p>The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern on Nov. 7.<br \/>\n(Photo by Frances Carter)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"3\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LDN-L-THEBETHS-1031-03-1.jpg\" \/>\n<p>The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern on Nov. 7.<br \/>\n(Photo by Frances Carter)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Show Caption<\/p>\n<p>1 of 3<\/p>\n<p>The New Zealand indie-rock band is coming to The Wiltern on Nov. 7.<br \/>\n(Photo by Frances Carter)\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\" class=\"icon-enlarge mng-gallery-fullscreen-expand\" aria-label=\"Expand fullscreen slideshow\">Expand<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Across \u201cStraight Line Was a Lie,\u201d their fourth studio album and first with ANTI- Records, Stokes leans into the idea that growth rarely moves in a straight line. Healing comes in loops and setbacks. Yet even through the detours, The Beths keep finding laughter and connection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE ALSO: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2025\/10\/22\/huntr-x-from-kpop-demon-hunters-joins-kiis-fm-jingle-ball-at-intuit-dome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Huntr\/x from \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 joins KIIS-FM Jingle Ball at Intuit Dome<\/a><\/p>\n<p>After months of traveling through Europe\u2019s clubs and festival stages, the band is now preparing for its North American leg, which includes a stop at The Studio at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2025\/09\/29\/former-vice-president-kamala-harris-gives-message-of-hope-during-book-tour-stop-in-los-angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Wiltern in Los Angeles<\/a> on Nov. 7. For Stokes, returning to Los Angeles feels both familiar and surreal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve spent some time there, and we\u2019ve played L.A. many times,\u201d she says. \u201cIt feels kind of surreal to be playing a room that big. The first time we played there in the city, I didn\u2019t imagine a future where that was even a possibility. We have a lot of friends there now, so it\u2019ll be nice to play and share that moment with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For The Beths, time moves in seasons. There\u2019s writing and recording, then the stretch of logistics \u2014 videos, rehearsals, planning \u2014 before the tunnel vision of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2025\/08\/06\/how-melissa-etheridge-is-turning-grief-into-grace-on-stage-i-deserve-happiness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tour life begins<\/a>. \u201cBeing in a working band, which we\u2019re really lucky to be, the years get divided into these phases,\u201d Stokes says. \u201cNow we\u2019re very much in tour mode. You wake up, get to the show, load in, play it as well as you can, and that\u2019s mission accomplished for the day. Then you do it again 30 times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it came time to write \u201cStraight Line Was a Lie,\u201d Stokes began searching for patterns. Not just in her songs, but in her own life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE ALSO:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2025\/10\/17\/charlie-puth-at-blue-note-los-angeles-duh-hes-a-snazzy-jazzy-cool-cat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charlie Puth at Blue Note Los Angeles? Duh, he\u2019s a snazzy, jazzy cool cat<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea came from realizing that linear progress was kind of an illusion,\u201d she explains. \u201cI thought I was going to fix everything about my life, and then it turns out that wasn\u2019t the case. But that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re not moving forward, even when it feels like you\u2019re going backwards or going in circles, you\u2019re still learning, still growing. That\u2019s just what life is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Much of the record took shape during an unexpected stay in Los Angeles in early 2024. After wrapping a West Coast tour, Stokes and guitarist Jonathan Pearce decided to stay behind for a few months rather than fly home. Instead of a quiet cabin retreat, they sublet rooms from fellow New Zealanders and immersed themselves in the city\u2019s creative hum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wrote every day,\u201d Stokes says. \u201cI told myself I\u2019d go home with 50 songs and ended up with about 25, which still felt like a good place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s constant motion proved energizing. \u201cIt was nice to pretend for a while that we lived in a megacity,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cThere\u2019s just so much going on, you can see music or comedy every night, old movies all the time, and friends from other bands were always coming through. It felt like the perfect place to write.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That energy seeps through \u201cStraight Line Was a Lie,\u201d balancing its emotional weight with sentimental lyricism and upbeat tunes.<\/p>\n<p>On stage, those songs evolve again. Stokes says performing them live changes their emotional temperature: \u201cNo matter how hard the day is, the show always brings you back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE ALSO:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2025\/10\/17\/austin-foursome-die-spitz-tears-through-its-set-at-las-lodge-room\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Austin foursome Die Spitz tears through its set at LA\u2019s Lodge Room<\/a><\/p>\n<p>That ethos of showing up, even when things bend or break, has carried The Beths from humble beginnings in Auckland\u2019s DIY scene to international stages. Despite the chaos, Stokes says she and her bandmates feel more grounded than ever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s validating to look around and realize this is our career now,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t feel like an imposter anymore. I just feel really grateful for my bandmates, for the people who listen, and for every chance we get to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the indie-rock quartet The Beths wrapped their recent summer run through the U.K. and Europe, vocalist-guitarist Liz&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":343556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,5497,2961,224,6080,5337,14539,1072],"class_list":{"0":"post-343555","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-concerts","11":"tag-la","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-los-angeles-county","14":"tag-losangeles","15":"tag-music-concerts","16":"tag-things-to-do"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115464136138279925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}