“Now You Know” (The Rope song) – Queen City Sounds and Art

TheRope1-sm — The Rope, photo courtesy the artist

The Rope is a post-punk band from Minneapolis that formed in 2009 and has two EPs under its belt as well as its debut full-length Lillian released in April 2019 on Late Century Records. The song “Now You Know” sets itself apart from the stream of darkwave and post-punk of recent years by demonstrating a keen ear for making something that sounds brooding and edgy without waxing into uninspired Goth tropes. The grittily shimmering guitar provides as much pacing and rhythm as the strong, pulsing bass line and punchy drums. The vocals deftly switch between the intensively meditative to the desperate with a musicality and dynamism that is refreshing to hear compared to the affectless singing we hear a lot in minimal synth and modern post-punk. It doesn’t sound like The Rope just got into synth-driven darkwave because they heard Drab Majesty or S U R V I V E for the first time, there’s a lot of refinement in the songwriting and use of sound and interaction between the musicians and the whole Lillian record is strong on solid material. Yes, if you’re listening closely you’ll hear the influence of The Chameleons and The Sound, perhaps even Mesh and Lace-period Modern English with some early Psychedelic Furs in the vocals. But The Rope is very much its own animal and one whose first full declaration of musical identity is impressively compelling in Lillian. Listen to “Now You Know” below and follow the band at the links underneath.