Good news for American fans for You Say Party! We Say Die! four years after bassist Stephen Shea pissed off border control and got himself banned from entering the U.S., the Canadian dance-punk outfit is finally allowed to tour our territory. YSP! WSD! is promoting their third album, XXXX, a surprisingly dark and emotional piece of work. Somewhere along the line between now and the shrieky frenzy that was their debut record, Hit The Floor!, the quintet has developed towards the graver, more sedated side of the New Wave. Songs like Laura Palmers Prom and There Is XXXX (Within My Heart), dominated by frontwoman Becky Ninkovics eerily dramatic vocals and haunting synthesizers, are still dance tracks, per se, but its going to be a swaying, dazed and drugged out kind of dance. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Tue., March 9, 8 p.m., 2010
