The Album
Future Me Hates Me
This album rocks. It really does.
The Beths’ debut LP Future Me Hates Me is a refreshing rock and roll album. Built on classic rock principles: angst, uncomfort in one’s skin, and questioning why things are, but done so in such a fresh and dynamic way. The energy is remarkable, done so in a controlled explosion of emotion and vitality. The sing-alongs begin the second the needle drops, with a backdrop ranging from grungy to delicate, always matching the aura that lead singer Elizabeth Stokes sets.
This album can’t go stale. It is so full of life coursing through each song. By that phrase I don’t only mean that the album is lively, per se, but it is also full of the ups and down of life. Songs tackle the feeling of crushes, self-loathing, revenge, anger… the usual range of emotions that we go through every day these days, right? Everything has such familiarity, such authenticity, but pairing these thoughts with an indie aesthetic allows us to rock out to our problems. It doesn’t solve them, but it makes our instability bearable, and honestly, a hell of a lot of fun.
The Food
Watermelon Salad
There is a list of foods that scream freshness to me. Mint, basil, vine-ripe tomatoes, mango, pomegranate. Watermelon, cucumber, arugula. When I bite into these foods, you could convince me that you grew them in your backyard, even if they’ve travelled thousands of miles in crates and freezers as most of our food unfortunately has.
That’s beside the point. My goal with this salad was to throw a few ingredients that would get my mouth watering and leave me feeling rejuvenated with a home-garden energy.
To do that, I put together the winning combination of fresh arugula, shaved watermelon, and thinly sliced cucumber. The watermelon especially was not an easy process – I quartered it, and dug an espresso cup into the flesh to give me an aesthetically pleasing tube of watermelon (now that I write that, it doesn’t sound so aesthetically pleasing) before cutting it into thin slices.
I then tossed them all into a salad bowl with feta, olive oil, a drop of balsamic, and a heap of fresh ground pepper. The result is a dish fresher than mother nature with a surprisingly complex taste (the crackling spice of the pepper is complemented by the sweet and refreshing watermelon, the soft crunch of the cucumber balanced by the salt in the feta).
Sparking water was a kick in the mouth that I needed. I love the bubbles dancing in my cheeks and on my tongue
And it left me rejuvenated. A+ dish, A+ feeling.
The Experience
I know this word has been brought up a few times already, but I cannot overstate how refreshing this combination is. From the album’s perspective, acknowledging your problems and dancing them off leaves you feeling a hundred pounds lighter; from the dish, the vitamins and minerals immediately begin firing across all the nerve endings in your body, giving you energy and revitalization.
After a long week, I felt like a plant that had been left to wilt away in the corner of a dark room, drained of energy and optimism. Experiences like this are the sunlight to my chloroplast.
Shakes the air around the room
Another evening alone
Caressed by the sound
Of a warbling voice from a beautiful mouth
Trying my best to be less of a coward
Trying to be less
Trying to be less than thou
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