A couple weeks back, we had the pleasure of announcing that local avant-pop purveyors Bethan will be releasing a new album this fall, Time Gone By. Not just a new album, in fact, but their first. It drops on California imprint Velvet Blue in a little over a month on October 7.
Well, today we have a little something else to help entice you for the big release in the form an exclusive stream of the first track from Time Gone By, titled "Low Expectations."
See also: Bethan Announce Debut Time Gone By, Due Out October 7 Becki Howard Makes Music Happen for Dallas Even When She's Not Playing It
As the name implies, "Low Expectations" is a deliberately oddball opening salvo for Bethan to make. The joke, of course, is that the band, having already taken four years to put out a proper full-length album, doesn't want anyone to get their hopes up. (The album title itself pokes fun at the same theme.) "Set low your expectations," sings Jessi Hall on the very first line of the song. "The secret to happiness lies there."
It's a deceptively simple song, as well. For a band that weave such intricate classical and experimental threads into its music, "Low Expectations" is built on little more than an elliptical guitar line, some strings and a piano that seems to come in and out of the frame. But then that's the point of the song: small movements; nuance; low expectations. Ironically, it's a pretty good way to pique interest for the rest of the album.
Bethan play their album release show at Three Links on Saturday, October 11. They'll also appear at the Index Festival later this month on Sunday the 28th.
The full track list for Time Gone By:
01. Low Expectations 02. Beside Me 03. In Our Paris 04. Honeymoon 05. I Need A Pill To Help Me Sleep 06. Out West 07. We Are All Expiring 08. Greedy Songbird 09. Melancholia 10. Don't Be Afraid To Lie To Yourself
