Black Tape for a Blue Girl's ethereal, mournful sound virtually defined the darkwave aesthetic of their label, Projekt Records, a company owned and operated by the group's founder, composer, and keyboardist Sam Rosenthal. Since the mid-'80s, the band have released over a dozen ambitious, intricately arranged studio full-lengths blending neo-classical, goth, folk, and ambient elements. Debuting with the minimalist art-pop album The Rope in 1986, the group's subsequent records gradually became lusher and more ambitious; releases such as 1991's A Chaos of Desire and 1996's Remnants of a Deeper Purity have endured as fan favorites. Following several lineup changes and relocations, Black Tape shifted their sound to a dark cabaret style, similar to the Dresden Dolls and Katzenjammer Kabarett, with 2004's Halo Star. The band returned to their earlier ethereal sound with releases such as 2016's These Fleeting Moments and 2021's The Cleft Serpent.