If It's Too Loud...

"Canadian LGBTQ Post Classic Rock" duo Partner seem to be on a mission to dabble in literally every musical genre. They've done indie rock, alt-rock, prog rock, country, etc., and on their latest single, "Fear That Closes the Heart," they're trying out 80's pop rock. No surprise here but Partner absolutely nail it. This literally sounds like a song that's been revived by Stranger Things , or at least that song you used to hear on the radio at your local pizza place and completely forgot about until just now. Of course, since this is Partner even if you despise 80's pop rock you're going to love "Fear That Closes the Heart" because that's just the power this pair have. Partner says of their new song and video: "This was the very first song we wrote during our sessions on Gabriola Island. The song is about fear, and how the sensation of fear can prevent someone from feeling like they’re living in the moment. We drew influence...

Over the past few years, we've seen Partner seemingly go back in time. When we first discovered them, they were putting out some killer 90's inspired alt-rock jams. They've played around with their sound quite a bit, going back to the 70's for some classic rock/prog rock tunes. Now, they're dancing the line between the 70's and 80's with "Not Today." This new song is a straight up power ballad. This is going to remind you of your favorite vintage power ballads. While it's a huge song, it never quite gets to the level of excess of Bon Jovi or Motley Crue, but it peeks over and looks at those songs lovingly. Partner have been making songs for music snobs to forget their snobbery and just have fun rocking out to, and "Not Today" is no exception. In a press release, Partner say of their new song: "This is a song we composed in November 2020 when we were self isolating and writing on Gabriola Island at the Noise Floor. We had a series...

We're unabashedly fans of "Canadian lesbian post classic rock" band Partner. One thing we love the most is that despite only forming in 2014 the duo have already cycled through multiple sounds. When we first discovered them they were doing the huge loud grunge thing, which then morphed into more of a prog rock sound. On their newest single, they've evolved again. "Time is a Car" is much more melodic than anything we've heard before from Partner. This is still a rock song, but it's more Heart than Pearl Jam or Rush. If anything, it melds Heart's 70's rock output with their more pop focused 80's songs. But... it still sounds like Partner, so we can't possibly not love it. Partner says of their new song: "This is a song that we wrote while reflecting on the years that have passed and the way that the passing of time offers fresh perspectives. Fittingly enough it’s ready just in time for us to present it to you on  Josée's 30th b...

Artist : Partner Album : Never Give Up Quick Description : Second album from a favorite here. Why You Should Listen : You don't take yourself too seriously, or you get high a lot. Overall Thoughts : We unironically love Partner here, and for good reason: they're a ton of fun and have the musical chops to back it up. There's no "Everybody Knows" here, but that's okay - the adventure into odd proggy territory at times feels natural and this listen, overall, feels like one that's likely to stick with me for a while. Recommendation : Definitely a good time. Artist : Sara Noelle Album : Cover the Blue Quick Description : Gorgeous folky tunes. Why You Should Listen : You already love this type of music. Overall Thoughts : We missed this one earlier this year, and with an EP out this week, it was worth highlighting this listen as a pretty, intricate piece of singer-songwriter folk. In a week that doesn't have a lot like this for once, it's w...

The latest release from everyone's favorite Canadian post classic rockers is just pure straight up rock. "Honey," Partner's new single, is literally just a song about rocking. This is the kind of song that is usually reserved for bands like Flight of the Conchords and Tenacious D these days. And, sure... "Honey" isn't a overly serious song about a huge social issues, and it does have a sense of humor, but it's hardly a novelty song. It's just a huge rock song about rock. Bless Partner for that. And what exactly is "Honey" about? According to the band:  " Honey  is the origin story of Josée's golden axe. In this track we recall how she first found her way to our house and joined the band. It came with a note (from Josée's dad) 'This guitar sounds just like honey going down.' Get ready for some straight up rock n roll." You can watch the Wayne's World inspired video for "Honey" below. Never Give Up ...

Photo by Lesley Marshall I've said this before about Partner's music, but this one is really not written for two middle aged cis straight married guys... but how are we supposed to not love this song? "Big Gay Hands" moves even further away from past 90's alt-rock comparisons and even deeper into their "post classic rock" sound. This song is going to remind you of ZZ Top. It lives in a weird world between the songs from ZZ Top we all know and the era of ZZ Top their die hard fans insist is their best work, while also throwing some country twang and maybe even the teensiest litte bit of hip hop in there.  Partner says about the song:  "This song is about a wild night on the town filled with queer desire. It is an important song to us because it expresses a feeling we know is shared by many. There are a lot of songs out there about women’s bodies but this is the only song we know about big gay hands. This song is dedicated to the hotties and to ...

Photo by Lesley Marshall Partner are officially ou r favorite " Canadian Queer Post Classic Rock" band. They've been towing the line between music that is funny and more serious music for as long as we've been aware of them, and their latest single moves in a completely new direction for the band. Sure, it has humor in it, but it's hardly a novelty. Plus, the sound moves more in the direction of post classic rock, while not completely leaving behind their 90's sound. (There's quite a lot going on in "Hello and Welcome...") It's almost like Sleater-Kinney decided to rock out in stadiums while opening for KISS, but with more than a little honkey tonk. And prog rock. Oh, and they're absolutely shredding on guitar now. You can watch the video for "Hello and Welcome" below. There's also a second single released along with this one called "Rock is My Rock," which is a little more jokey than this one. You can find t...

Partner, who have the best ever band descriptions of " loveable guitar shredding Canadian stoner goofballs" and " Partner is funny, but not a joke. Gay, but not for each other," have released a new single, "Good Place to Hide (At the Time)." Last time we heard from them was back in August when they were covering Rush , and it sounds like they might still be in full on Rush mode. Partner have always had a much bigger sound than you would think possible from a band on a smaller label, but "Good Place to Hide (At the Time)" is just epic in scope. Plus, this seems to be the most serious Partner song to date, but I might just not be paying attention to the lyrics closely enough. Partner explains the song:  "You find yourself in a room with a locked door. You have always been there. It is all you have ever known. You have no reason to believe you could leave, no reason to believe you would ever want to. And then one day you hear the murmurs....

Partner are one of those bands I love despite not being their target audience. A middle aged straight cis gendered white dad isn't who a self described " Canadian Queer Post Classic Rock" band envisions as their fan. On the other hand, I'm 100% Rush's target audience, even though I've never been a fan. So what happens when Partner covers Rush? It works shockingly well. Partner normally perform songs that while they may not be novelty songs are at least humorous. I expected a little bit of tongue in cheek on this cover, the kind we used to get in the 90's when a band would do a semi-ironic cover. Partner play "Limelight" completely straight. Maybe because respecting Rush is Canadian law, but according to Partner: "We watched a documentary about RUSH and we fell in love with the band. They seem like such nice guys. It caused us to hear the music in a new way, with a much deeper appreciation. By doing the cover, we hoped to pay tribute to...

Partner's 2017 album In Search of Lost Time  was a surprise hit around here, which is surprising mainly because two middle aged dads aren't exactly the target audience for " Canadian Queer Post Classic Rock." But, we were really into it. Their latest single, "Tell You Off," might be great... but I'm not sure. It's a country song, but an incredibly tongue-in-cheek country song. It reminds me of The Dead Milkmen's one song mocking country (that I can't seem to remember the name of, way to be professional...), but it's maybe not entirely mocking country? It's as twangy as can be with sampled farm animal noises, but it's maybe not fully a novelty song? I'm confused on how to feel with this one, but I'm pretty sure I love it. You can listen to "Tell You Off" below. Saturday the 14th , the new EP from Partner, will be out April 5 on You've Changed Records. You can pre-order the EP here . For more on Partner, ch...

There's a lot of reasons why this album shouldn't work. It's got a sound from another era, it relies heavily on comedy, it's an indie rock record with skits. But then you hear a song like "Everybody Knows" and you just get it - that the humor is because real life can be funny, that the choices made here are really deliberate, and that the duo is completely leaning into the whole thing. There is no reason why a 36 year old straight married white guy who hasn't as much as touched marijuana should love an album by a couple 20-something lesbian stoners, but here we are with an album that should really be enjoyable for anyone who doesn't take themselves too seriously. It's an achievement at any point, but it's absolutely one of the best listens of the year. Songs of note: "Everybody Knows," "Gross Secret," "Daytime TV"

Another busy release date means we're splitting this one in two. Album of the Week : Artist : Partner Album : In Search of Lost Time Quick Description : Stoner chicks with a fun and funny debut. Why You Should Listen : This is definitely the most fun you'll have this week from a musical standpoint, but stay for the sharp songwriting. Overall Thoughts : To say that this is probably collectively the most anticipated release of the week for both Ken and I is probably an understatement. Ken has noted that we’re way too old to enjoy this band as much as we do, and this debut album? Basically a direct hit of nostalgia and humor directly into the bloodstream. This duo knows exactly what they’re doing – from the framework of the album itself to their sound to the humor to even the fact that they have skits, this is a heck of a nostalgia trip that still works in a modern context. In terms of solely what they are as a band, this is a great release. Whether the humor and rid...

Photo by Colin Medley Partner doesn't make music for me. I'm a straight, middle aged male. Partner are two females in their 20s that, according to their Instagram profile, are "Gay but not for each other." Their songs have a sense of humor but stop just shy of being a novelty act. "Gross Secret" is about exactly what it sounds like: Having a secret habit or act that would make people think less of you if they discovered it. I'm a grown adult with a child and a mortgage. I'm above such things. But Partner are just so good. "Gross Secret" is a catchy as hell, fun straight out rock song. It's like the hard rock of Eight Arms to Hold You  era Veruca Salt meets the quirky humor of Cake Like. Picture the fun, more silly songs of AC/DC, but not as douchey. We should be above this kinda thing at our age, but who doesn't love a fun song that rocks just for the sake of being a fun rock song? You can listen to "Gross Secret" ...

Canada's Partner have been critically acclaimed for a while now, although they haven't actually released an album yet. That will change in September, and the duo have released the first single off their debut, "Everybody Knows." "Everybody Knows" is a big song. Huge guitars in that mid-90s grunge alternative style (Think Foo Fighter's debut album and Veruca Salt's Eight Arms to Hold You ). It's this giant, driving sound that I'm oddly nostalgic for. It's a fun song, blatantly about smoking pot. The full line for the title is "Everybody knows you're high." Plus, a good amount of the verses are kinda rap/spoken like Beck used to to. It's a weird mid-90s nostalgia factory, that could have crashed and burned but somehow works despite all odds. You can listen to "Everybody Knows" below.   Partner's debut album, In Search of Lost Time , will be out September 8 on You've Changed Records. (Speaking of mid...