Leeds indie upstarts Party Hardly share fuzzed-up, melody offering ‘The Hopskotch Man’,

Leeds upstarts Party Hardly share fuzzed-up, melodic offering

‘The Hopskotch Man’Released 24th May

Photo credit: Donald Braddock

Party Hardly – The Hopskotch Man

“Fuzzy guitar riffs and rip-roaring choruses, marking themselves out as a highly exciting new prospect to keep an eye on” – The Line of Best Fit”Strung out and dictated by sweet-as-can-be hooks, it’s the sound of youth taking a big next step, with fear, trepidation and excitement battling it out in one beastly dance” – DIY”Off-piste slacker jams that veer between Pavement-style lyrical abstraction and PNK SLM’s woozy pop, the band have already crafted a strong local following” – Clash “90s-influenced guitar-pop brilliance” – Dork

Leeds indie upstarts Party Hardly share fuzzed-up, melodic offering The Hopskotch Man, the first track taken from upcoming EP Modern Strife Is Snobbish dropping later this summer.

Constantly reshaping their sound as they mature and take influence from the urban cityscape and dirty undertones of Leeds and its thriving DIY scene, the quartet’s brand of off-kilter post-punk has swiftly won praise throughout the online community (The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, DIY, Dork) and looks set to continue with the arrival of their forthcoming EP. Written after guitarist Matt Pownall suffered an injury resulting in reconstructive surgery which left him bedbound for some months, The Hopskotch Man was a culmination of the subsequent depression that tormented his mind: “The Hopskotch Man is my anxiousness sitting on my shoulder. I would often have very vivid dreams during my recovery and a sinister man would always come and ask me to play a game of hopscotch, knowing full well that I couldn’t walk. The only way I got rid of this recurring nightmare was to look at him dead in the eyes and beat him at his own game. I’ve slept like a baby ever since”. Having already supported rising indie acts including The Magic Gang and Trudy and the Romance and gained BBC 6 Music airplay (Steve Lamacq), the four-piece are primed to continue their ascent with a slew of live dates to follow later this summer.

Party Hardly’s The Hopskotch Man is out 24th May and will be available via all digital platforms. Live Dates (message for press passes)08 June – Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Party Hardly

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