You Say Party! We Say Die!

by Stewart Mason
Sporting quite possibly the worst band name since Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- particularly since it so readily lends itself to snarky drive-by non-reviews along the lines of "I say 'forget it!'" -- You Say Party! We Say Die! is actually an enjoyably goofy retro-new wave time. Blending punky guitars and new wave synths in much the same way as fellow early MTV revivalists the Epoxies or Controller.Controller, this Canadian five-piece leans more toward the dance-rock side of the equation; indeed, with their two female singers and prominent thumping beats, they occasionally come across as a Martha & the Muffins for the new millennium. You Say Party! We Say Die! was formed in late 2003 in the small border city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, by singer Becky Ninkovic, keyboardist Krista Loewen, and bassist Stephen O'Shea, friends looking for something to do indoors during the region's inhospitable winters. Adding drummer Bruce Dyck, guitarist Jason Nicholas, and second keyboardist Carissa Ropponen, You Say Party! We Say Die! began touring the western provinces and released their debut EP, Danskwad (pronounced "dance squad"), in 2004. A lineup shuffle saw Ropponen exit the band, leaving Loewen the sole keyboard player, while Nicholas and Dyck were replaced by Derek Adam and Devon Clifford, respectively. You Say Party! We Say Die! signed to the Vancouver indie label Sound Records in 2005, releasing their full-length debut album, Hit the Floor! (in keeping with the band name and album title, the song titles were liberally peppered with perky exclamation points), in the fall of that year. Two singles from the album, "You Did It!" and "The Gap Between the Rich and the Poor," were released on British indie labels in 2006 as You Say Party! We Say Die! toured Europe and North America. That October, after attempting to cross the border without proper visas, the band was banned from touring the States until 2011 and encouraged fans to write their congressman and sign an online petition. In March 2007, the group released their remarkable sophomore album, Lose All Time.