Jump Rope Gazers is a different animal from The Beths‘ debut Future Me Hates Me. Where the 2018 LP was all energy and melody, this album is more subdued. The band’s unerring ear for melody remains, but is packaged in reflective thoughts of yearning, physical and emotional distance, and coming to grips with their growing stature in the indie music world. True, the writing has always been self-conscious — charmingly so, in our opinion — but that attribute is more to the fore in this outing. That said, this band can fuse an apt hook in any song of any tempo, and their arrangements reflect an appreciation for the perfectly stacked hits of 60s-70s American soul music. There is no doubt that Jump Rope Gazers is another triumph for this band, and will be marked as one of our cherished albums of this summer.
The Beths are Elizabeth Stokes (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Pearce (guitar/vocals), Benjamin Sinclair (bass/vocals), Tristan Deck (drums/vocals). Jump Rope Gazers in digital, vinyl and CD format via Carpark Records.