The Beths have announced their fourth studio album, Straight Line Was a Lie, out August 29th. As a preview, the indie rockers have also revealed their new song, “No Joy,” and its accompanying video. Stream it below.
Straight Line Was a Lie is the band’s first studio album since 2022’s Expert in a Dying Field, and their first on new label, ANTI-. The band cites “existential vertigo” as the album’s primary theme, along with the idea that going through transformative experiences doesn’t always result in the desired effect.
“Linear progression is an illusion,” vocalist Elizabeth Stokes said in a press statement. “What life really is is maintenance. But you can find meaning in the maintenance.”
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On that note, “No Joy” delves into Stokes’ mental health journey. “It’s about anhedonia, which, paradoxically, was there both in the worst parts of depression, and then also when I was feeling pretty numb on my SSRI,” she said. “It wasn’t that I was sad, I was feeling pretty good. It was just that I didn’t like the things that I liked. I wasn’t getting joy from them. It’s very literal.”
Watch the Frances Carter-directed video for “No Joy” below.
The quartet recently added a handful of new dates to their extensive 2025 tour, with additional shows in cities including Dublin, San Francisco, Toronto, and Boston. See the full itinerary below, and get tickets here.
“Metal,” the first single from Straight Line Is a Lie, was released in April. Pre-orders for the album are ongoing.
Straight Line Was a Lie Artwork:
Straight Line Was a Lie Tracklist:
01. Mosquitoes
02. No Joy
03. Metal
04. Mother, Pray for Me
05. Til My Heart Stops
06. Take
07. Roundabout
08. Ark of the Covenant
09. Best Laid Plans
The Beths 2025 Tour Dates:
09/17 — Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
09/18 — Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
09/20 — Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
09/21 — Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio
09/22 — Leeds, UK @ Project House
09/24 — Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
09/25 — Birmingham, UK @ XOYO
09/26 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
09/27 — Brighton, UK @ CHALK
09/29 — Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
09/30 — Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
10/01 — Brussels, BE @ Botanique
10/03 — Cologne, DE @ Kantine
10/04 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/05 — Hamburg, DE @ Knust
10/07 — Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
10/08 — Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
10/09 — Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
10/11 — Berlin, DE @ Lido
10/12 — Munich, DE @ Strom
10/13 — Zurich, CH @ Plaza
10/15 — Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz 2
10/16 — Madrid, ES @ Nazca
10/17 — Lisbon, PT @ LAV
10/30 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
10/31 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
11/01 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl *
11/03 — Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory *
11/04 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s *
11/06 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
11/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * ^
11/08 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
11/09 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
11/12 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades *
11/14 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
11/15 — Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre *
11/16 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
11/18 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *
11/19 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
11/21 — Kansas City, MO @ The Truman *
11/22 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre *
11/23 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) *+
11/25 — Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron *
11/26 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre *
11/27 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
11/28 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
11/29 — Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre *
12/01 — Boston, MA @ Royale *
12/02 — Boston, MA @ Royale *
12/03 — Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall *
12/05 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount *#
12/06 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
12/07 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
12/09 — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
12/10 — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
! = w/ Dateline
* = w/ Phoebe Rings
^ = w/ Bret McKenzie
+ = w/ Squirrel Flower
# = w/ illuminati hotties
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