MUSIC
Bridging indie rock generations
Beach Bunny, The Beths co-headline show at The Bridge in Santa Fe
When indie rock torchbearers The Beths and indie rock cool kids Beach Bunny take the stage Friday, July 31, at The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Co., it鈥檒l be in front of generations of enthusiastic fans.
The Beths are a favorite of the millennials who fell in love with the sound of early-2000s indie rock, with Beach Bunny being a beloved voice of Gen Z and Alpha, having grown out of the viral storm of social media.
And for a little extra rock, they鈥檙e bringing along Wishy 鈥� a five-piece, on-the-rise, indie-pop band out of Indianapolis 鈥� who will be opening.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure I鈥檓 going to leave the tour so inspired,鈥� Beach Bunny鈥檚 Lili Trifilio said, speaking about the chance to tour with The Beths.
A three-piece band hailing from Chicago, Beach Bunny is fronted by Trifilio, who started out recording music in her bedroom in 2015 as part of the DIY punk scene that was booming at the time.
By 2017, Beach Bunny had formed into a full band and phased out the lo-fi crackle, replacing it with a more refined indie-pop sound.
With Jon Alvarado on drums and Anthony Vaccaro on bass and lead guitar, the group began cutting LPs, starting with 鈥淗oneymoon鈥� in 2020, which was on numerous Best of 2020 lists and contained the single 鈥淐loud 9,鈥� which went viral on TikTok.
In 2025, they released their third album, 鈥淭unnel Vision,鈥� and Trifilio said the band is in a great spot right now, perfect for a co-headline show with The Beths.
鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 like a transitional period between this era and the next,鈥� she said. 鈥�(This past) spring we started recording a new album. We finished recording actually, and (we鈥檙e) just kind of gearing up for like the next era, whatever that鈥檚 going to look like.鈥�
It turns out it was a great time for The Beths as well, and the stars aligned perfectly.
The four-piece band out of Auckland, New Zealand, is fronted by Liz Stokes and has been cutting full-length albums since their debut release 鈥淔uture Me Hates Me鈥� in 2018. They鈥檙e now touring behind their fourth LP, 鈥淭he Straight Line Was A Lie.鈥�
Tristan Deck on drums, Benjamin Sinclair on bass and Jonathan Pearce on lead guitar round out the band with Stokes, with Rolling Stone calling them 鈥淥ne of the greatest indie-rock bands of their time."
Ahead of their Santa Fe performance, The Beths鈥� tour is taking them through Asia. Deck blogs about The Beths鈥� time on the road with the website.
鈥�(The Beths are) all the way in New Zealand,鈥� Trifilio said. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 kind of a miracle (that things worked out). Our booking agent, it was a very smart move on his part; he heard (The Beths) were coming to the States. And we鈥檙e kind of cut from the same cloth in many ways.鈥�
The Beths predate Beach Bunny by only two years, but the immediate success of their first album made them stalwarts of the indie scene for nearly a decade.
鈥淲e are definitely huge fans, for sure,鈥� Trifilio said.
For indie rock fans, The Beths continue to carry the torch for a more traditional indie-rock sound: lo-fi, melodic, catchy and fast, with deeply personal and clever lyrical structures.
Beach Bunny has a similar sound but with a pop-punk sensibility.
鈥淚 would say (Beach Bunny is) power chords, very honest lyrics, and usually, like, a little dance-riff moment,鈥� said Trifilio.
Trifilio said The Beths played the Pool Party music festival, which is curated by Trifilio, in Chicago in 2023, the inaugural year. But this is the first time the two bands have gotten to tour together.
It鈥檚 also another first for Beach Bunny 鈥� sort of.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been through New Mexico a few times before, but this is our first time with The Beths,鈥� Trifilio said.
