If you've never heard The Ropes you're in for a treat. Their spare post punk instrumentation and the elfin vocalist Sharon's voice that is a perfect mixture of husky rock chanteuse and haunting lullabye.
Her lyrics are witty, bitter and dark and yet there's always some trace of lingering idealism, lingering hope for humanity. In combination all of this makes them a fascinating listen.
Their material ranges between angry-catchy anthem "Kill Her Off" to "Cry to The Beat" which is the most danceable expression of soul crushing depression I've heard in a long time, to the beautiful quiet desperation of "I Don't Like To Get Dirty" and so much further.
They're an honest self portrait of modern dysfunction, un-romanticized yet somehow utterly relatable and human, and utterly authentic. In a world where the entire media pretends to be miserable to sell better this is a rarity, and somehow real venom and real pain are refreshing against a musical landscape of melodramatic posturing. Sharon is completely painfully self-aware without being self conscious, and she manages to turn her mental landscape into something glorious, something witty without ever seeming to be trying too hard or losing the raw truth behind it.
