You Say Party! I Say: Get the Fuck on the Dancefloor

So I scored a couple of tickets to see Vancouver's You Say Party! We Say Die! do an acoustic set at a local radio staion. I was pretty pumped for this intimate set, and YSP!WSD! delivered. Not really surprised. This latest album has me rethinking their genre label of "dance punk". I mean, maybe it was the acoustic set, but it wasn't so dance-y as I remember the first one. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that's a bad thing. XXXX is just a totally grown up sound from their sophomore effort. That being said, hearing dance punk with only vocals, an accompanying acoustic guitar and a tambourine is almost an unsettling experience. Becky's haunting voice turned ethereal and you could see down to the bare soul of the tracks. Pretty Prose over, I Promise.

Laura Palmer's Prom, a song about the a character from Twin Peaks, was absolutely chilling sans synths. I can't stop myself from singing the chorus at random intervals. It's a bit nonsensical ("My heart needs a love-dance"), but it's perfect. It's romantic and melancholy and above all, so yearny! I can't get enough.

Dark Days is highly emotional: Becky looked like she's going to cry during this song. I do the same thing, though, when I'm working hard to hit those lower notes. But you can't really dismiss the fact that a song called "Dark Days" didn't come from somewhere painful. Whatever the inspiration, you can hear it in every single lyric. Not the most danceable track on the album, but one of the most honest. I think it's a YSP! WSD! classic.

So like, my first "interview". Kinda. The below is paraphrased, since I didn't have the foresight to record the convo:

Me: "So last time I saw you guys perform was at Amigo's in Saskatoon a few years back. One of the most memorable things about the show was [Becky's] huge hair. It's pretty short now. Was it traumatic cutting it all off?"

Becky: "The first few days were really tough. I had to keep reminding myself I'd cut it off for a good reason. When it was long, I loved to dance with it, and it really was bad on my neck because it was so heavy. I think everyone needs to cut off all their hair every few years. I can see my features again. It's nice to see them again."

Me: "So what did you find was the biggest difference in writing/recording the material from "Lose All Time" and the new album (XXXX)?"

Derek: "We took a lot longer! Last album, everyone kind of did their own thing. It was all very compartmentalized, with the intention of everyone's individual sound coming through. This was much more of a group process."

Becky: "Definitely. Plus this time around I had  vocal coach. She was with me all the time, even in the studio. It made a huge difference for me."

Thanks guys, for letting me be intrusive. :)

Pick up a copy of XXXX of Lose All Time HERE or on iTunes