Party Hardly – ‘The Hopskotch Man’

Party Hardly battle their nightmarish demons in the melodic jangle-pop of ‘The Hopskotch Man’.

Released ahead of their forthcoming EP, Modern Strife Is Snobbish, Party Hardly’s ‘The Hopskotch Man’ is a melodic tale of anxiety. It begins with a jangly chorus-effected guitar that lulls you into a false sense of serenity. This is where the anxiety begins. The Kurt Vile-style vocals sing about guitarist Matt Pownall’s nightmares of a “sinister man” always asking him for a “game of hopscotch” whilst being bedridden following reconstructive surgery. The only way was to “play him at his own game”. ‘The Hopskotch Man’ is the result, and Party Hardly have certainly beaten him. the fuzzy guitar lines from the final third of the song could be the band defeating ‘The Hopskotch Man’, as the clean jangle is made way in favour of fuzzy distortion. Party Hardly 1, ‘The Hopskotch Man’ 0.

This is indie/post-punk at it’s finest. It’s not brash or obnoxious. ‘The Hopskotch Man’ is intelligent, creative and downright fascinating both musically and lyrically. If you haven’t heard of them before, make sure you get yourselves familiar with Party Hardly.

Words by Matthew Brocklehurst