Sylvan Weekends, who I wrote about back in February, are back with another slice of nostalgic and youthful pop music.
In February, Young And Freewheeling struck me for its beautiful tension between innocence and excitement at the possibilities afforded by growing up. In contrast, the message in Fool Hardy seems a little more straightforward. The song is a pitch to lose yourself, be present and seize the moment.
Even so, Fool Hardy has depth. The song is written from the perspective of being in the moment, yet reflecting on how the memories will sit, experienced from the future:
“Now, when I feel the sun beating down, I think of all your kisses. I’m really gonna miss this.”
Leveraging their trademark genre-bending style, Sylvan Weekends combine banjo, synths, and unison vocal work to give Fool Hardy its distinctive sound. It is energetic, youthful, and full of heart. The song arrives with a joyous video that sees bandmates Matthew, Freya, and Daniel hanging out in a single room. In the video, they juxtapose the introspection of the song’s verse with a chorus that makes the band flip into a choreographed dance routine.
As noted with Young and Freewheeling, Sylvan Weekends have an affinity for nostalgia, and Fool Hardy is a song that manages to capture the feeling of being nostalgic for a moment whilst it is still happening… This collapsing in of an experience only happens at times that feel so special you can’t help but be somewhat aware of it, even as it is happening.
As a chronic over-thinker, I have certainly had the experience of being almost too aware of the significance of a moment as it happens. Sylvan Weekends’ plea to be fool hardy is a useful reminder to be in the moment.