You Say Party

You Say Party (formerly You Say Party! We Say Die!) is a female-fronted Canadian dance/punk band from Abbotsford, British Columbia, formed in 2003. The members, currently, is Becky Ninkovic (vocals), Derek Adam (guitar), Stephen O’Shea (bass) and Krista Loewen (keyboards). On April 16, 2010, drummer Devon Clifford collapsed on stage, and, on April 18, died (of complications from a sudden brain hemorrhage). The band changed their name out of respect. YSP released 3 original studio albums, and their sound is best compared to the party rock of Athens, GA’s Pylon and The B-52’s. But, later, they mixed in some of the moody goth of England’s Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure. In 2011, YSP disbanded, but, in 2012, returned as the current 4-piece band, sans drummer, and, in 2013, released a new song “Friend”. I first heard YSP (well, YSP! WSD!) on the Canadian TV show Todd & the Book of Pure Evil.

YSP‘s first two albums, Hit the Floor! (2005) and Lose All Time (2007) really kicked out the Athens, GA, party rock influences. Becky Ninkovic’s jerky vocal style is similar to Vanessa Briscoe‘s (of Pylon), and YSP‘s sound, overall, is definitely comparable to Pylon meets The B-52’s (without Fred Schneider‘s silly vocals, of course). “You Did It!” and “He! She! You! Me! They! We! Us! OK!”, from the debut, are the bounciest tracks (just look at all those exclamation marks!), but, “Midnight Snack” is cool, too. And, “Jazz Crabs” is an obvious nod to The B-52’s adding a different species of music-loving crustacean [or do rock lobsters get jazz crabs?]. “Teenage Hit Wonder”, from Lose All Time, is one of my favorite YSP tracks. After one listen, you will be singing its refrain (“Just be my friend yeah yeah”), in your head, for days. In “Monster”, I love the images Becky draws: “It wants to rip our skins apart / Tear out the strings connected to our hearts / Our hearts, our hearts.” And, “Downtown Mayors Goodnight, Alley Kids Rule!” is another cool track.

Watch the videos for “Monster” and “Downtown Mayors Goodnight” here:

YSP‘s third album, XXXX (2009), is definitely their best release. Becky’s vocals are less jerky on most songs, and the album, overall, is moodier, sounding more like Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure. However, the Pylon/B-52’s party rock sound is still there, too, especially in “Glory” (which I mentioned in Random Musing #13). That track is YSP‘s best song ever, and dance/punk at its finest! Becky’s jerky vocals, the jumpy new wave beat, and the punky guitar – awesome! “Laura Palmer’s Prom” is another great track. And, apparently, The Cure is playing Laura Palmer‘s prom. Just listen to that Porl Thompson-esque guitar and the gloomy goth vibe. Laura Palmer, by the way, was a character on the ABC TV series Twin Peaks (1990-91), and YSP‘s video for the song is a tribute to that cult show. Other cool tracks are “Dark Days” and the three songs with XXXX in their titles (“There Is XXXX (Within My Heart)”, “Make XXXX” and, especially, “XXXX/Loyalty”). The XXXX, obviously, represents the word love, and is, in fact, vocalist Becky’s personal “mark of love”. The last track, “Heart of Gold”, is an amazing hearfelt love song.

Watch the videos for “Laura Palmer’s Prom” and “There Is XXXX” here:

You Say Party Discography
2004 – Danskwad [EP]
2005 – Hit the Floor! [Album]
2007 – Lose All Time [Album]
2008 – Remik’s Cube (remix album) [Album]
2009 – XXXX [Album]
2010 – REMIXXXX (remix album) [Album]
2013 – “Friend” [Digital Single]