By Rachel Adrushuk
Much like a good music video, it’s hard to separate Beth from the image of the band’s lead singer, Stefan Braun’s sultry dance on stage. Released in May 2017, the album is very moody, sometimes reminding me of a grown-up version of the emo music I used to listen to in high school. My mind was filled with images of séances, darkness, blood, and a broody sadness mixed with confidence; I guess you would call that madness? It’s like you’re mad but you’ve accepted it. You have embraced the madness, and are now dancing with it.The first song on Beth’s self-titled album, “Code of Thieves” creeps in with a sick drum beat and gets your head nodding as you picture Braun writhing on stage in a dark lit room. In “Center of the World”, Braun sings “there’s a black snake at the center of the world”, which will now undoubtedly affect the way I watch Beth perform, comparing the whole thing to a snake charming performance.
My favourite track was this short, fun song called “Little Smoke” that starts off almost with a rap verse. “Immortal Heart” was also really sweet. The bass line reminded me a lot of Limp Bizkit, which is a good thing in my books. The album ends with “Rats”, which has chanting in the background as Braun screams “breathe in, breathe out” over and over again. It’s super creepy but super cool.
The ideal time to listen to this album would be when you’ve stayed out all night and are walking home in the morning amidst the normal humans heading to work. You need to put something on to make you feel okay about it. It’s like you have a secret, and you feel cool and conniving about it. You’re sort of sneaking, slithering, like a black snake. Or if you’re part of a group of misfits/goths/punks hanging out at a public pool. Either or.
I would suggest this album to anyone who likes post punk artists like Morrissey, Joy Division, or Nick Cave (Braun sounds very similar to Nick Cave). I would also give it a listen if you like to be serenaded by a brooding voice like that of Tom Waits.
(Independent, whoisbeth.bandcamp.com)