King Ropes - Gravity and Friction
King Ropes drop their new album, Gravity and Friction, today. Replete with a variety of sonic flavors, the album refuses to be pigeonholed into a specific genre.
King Ropes | Photo: Cate Schroeder
The band’s founder, Dave Hollier, explains, “I’ve been formed by a lot of different stuff. It seems boring to me try to limit ourselves to a certain style or genre of music. I’m interested in the contrasts between urban and rural, eastern and western, sophisticated and raw, sweet and bludgeoning. People think it’s weird, a kid growing up in Montana wanting to move to New York, but those two extremes define who I am, and I think that this music reflects that.”
If pressed, King Ropes’ sound incorporates elements of garage rock, roots rock, psych, and country. Their debut, entitled Dirt, recorded in Brooklyn and L.A., dropped in 2017, followed by the EP, Green Wolverine, recorded in Montana.
The band’s name – King Ropes – was borrowed from the name of a western tack store in Wyoming. Made up of Dave Hollier (vocals, guitar), Jeff Jensen (drums), Aaron Banfield (bass), Ben Roth (guitar), and Sam Hollier (cello), King Ropes pushes out music defined by raw organicism.
“Brown” is a drawling blues-flavored country tune emanating gospel-like vocal glows atop a softly braying organ.
Encompassing eight-tracks, the album starts off with “Saint Peter,” traveling on a psychedelic-flavored Beatles-eque melody with hints of Willie Nelson-country. It’s a low-slung tune, rippling with oozing colors and dreamy vocals.
Entry points include “California Stars,” featuring a fat, rumbling bassline and crisp drums supporting gentle gleaming harmonics reminiscent of both The Beatles and Tom Petty, with dollops of dirty garage-rock energy tossed in for smoldering flavor.
“Brown” is a drawling blues-flavored country tune emanating gospel-like vocal glows atop a softly braying organ. The title track exudes dark coloration and ominous textures, as well as delicious nasal vocals. “These Days” rides an almost nursery-rhyme-like melody, discharging dirge-laced melancholic tones backed by soft glistening guitars and a wonderful violin thread.
With Gravity and Friction, King Ropes deliver delightfully innovative music, blending a diverse assortment of textures and sonic colors.
