Party Day Sorted! 2xLP
A gloomy and atmospheric post-punk/goth-adjacent group from Barnsley, England, PARTY DAY won the affection of John Peel with their 1983 debut single “Row the Boat Ashore.” Their dour countenance and bass-led rhythms slot comfortably aside more recognizable contemporary acts like the SOUND and JOY DIVISION. Sorted! is a double-LP compilation representing the whole of their recorded history: two full-length albums and a handful of singles and EP tracks. The track “Glasshouse” (there are two versions included here) stands out as a highlight, a shimmering and sweet melancholic strum that brings to mind what the CHURCH was doing at the time. Other highlights include the propulsive “Rabbit Pie,” the sullen six-minute epic “Atoms,” and “Career,” the last of which channels early KILLING JOKE. Proof positive that there is still interesting, even transcendent material to be unearthed from the milieu of forgotten ’80s post-punk.