Jump Rope Gazers is The Beths’ second album. I often go back and forth over this, but I think it’s slightly better than their debut. It doesn’t depart much from the sound, and it’s largely a refinement of the style. Though I like bands regularly doing something different, I can’t complain about a band deciding “reckon we can do the same but a bit better” and then doing just that.
The album continues to sound like Auckland. In the case of Dying to Believe, very literally, with the song featuring a recording of the announcements on a train (“The next station is Ōrākei. In the interests of safety please keep all aisles and doorways clear of belongings”). Amusingly, these announcements were updated pretty soon after the song was released and they no longer sound like that.
Many of the album’s themes centre around love and separation. The album’s title refers to the idea that two lovers are each holding the end of a jump rope (I suppose they decided “Skipping Rope Gazers” wouldn’t be such a snappy title). Written and released in mid 2020, it’s easy to connect this to the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it rings true more universally in a modern world where long distance relationships are common.
Jump Rope Gazers has a tighter, more studio sound evident in things like the tape speeding up-esque sounds on Acrid. Unironically that sound is my favourite part of the song. I’m not exactly sure what it is, I think it’s just a guitar but it’s been modified somehow.
Out of Sight might be my favourite song on the album because of the guitar riff. It’s a great riff and I’ve really enjoyed figuring out how to play it on guitar.
You Are a Beam of Light, towards the end of the album is an extremely beautiful song. It consists of guitar and vocals by lead singer Elizabeth Stokes and guitarist/producer Jonathan Pearce. For much of the song they sing together in unison. This is an effect that I absolutely love. I also really enjoy how evident their New Zealand accents are.
Jump Rope Gazers pretty quickly became one of my most listened albums1 after I started listening to The Beths. And that’s because it’s an absolute banger. 4½ stars.
It’s currently sitting at #24, actually quite a way behind Future Me Hates Me which is #7. I probably should listen to Jump Rope Gazers more. I reckon it’s probably because Future Me Hates Me has a few really great songs that stand out so I listen to them a lot, whereas Jump Rope Gazers is more consistently good.