Having made a name for himself with The Polar Boys, Ruff Hunter is now writing a new chapter for himself, one where he takes the solo route, and “Punching Darts* is his latest single. And what a great single it is. It calls back to post-punk ways of doing things whilst building a unique and signature sound for the present day, one that blends a gritty indie guitar with more dreamscape sonics, lo-fi understatement with shoegaze abrasiveness.
And, appropriatly enough for a song which effortlessly blends the sounds of the past with those of the present, the theme of the song is about being aware that life’s cycles also repeat, often blurring memory and time, but also understatnd that those circles only come back round a limited amount of times, that time spent with loved ones is not endless. It’s the musings of an artist coming to terms with the realities that life is short, time marches on, and we all have only a small window of opportunity to do what we want in life.
Ahead of an EP to follow, “Punching Darts” brilliantly teases the audience, tests the sonic waters, and sets the tone for what comes next. And, it also does what all good singles do: it makes us want to know more about the artist, the music, and the EP to follow.
