XXXX (album)

XXXX
A lone golden heart sits on a black background. Around it is text that endlessly spirals into the center of the cover that reads "you say party! we say die!" also included is text that reads "XXXX"
Studio album by
You Say Party
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2009
Genreindie rock/dance-punk
Length39:58
LabelPaper Bag
ProducerHoward Redekopp
You Say Party chronology
Remik's Cube
(2015) 		XXXX
(2009) 		You Say Party
(2016)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork Media(7.0/10) [2]
Austin Chronicle[3]
Artrocker[citation needed]

XXXX is the third full-length album by Canadian dance-punk band You Say Party (formerly You Say Party! We Say Die!), released September 29, 2009. It was the last release featuring the band's original longer name and the last album with drummer Devon Clifford (who died in April 2010). The album was recorded between January and August 2009.[4]

The word "XXXX" also appears in several of the album's song titles. In each song, the four Xs represent the word "love".[5] In an interview with CBC Radio 3, the band's vocalist Becky Ninkovic explained that when finalizing the cover art for the band's first EP Dansk Wad, she had wanted to leave a personal "mark of love" on it, and settled on signing it with four small Xs.

The album is often considered to be the high point of You Say Party's career,[6] as it was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize,[7] and won the 2010 Western Canadian Music Award for Rock Recording of the Year.[8]

On September 21, 2010 a Remix album consisting of three of the tracks from XXXX ("Dark Days", "There is XXXX", and "Laura Palmer’s Prom") was released under the title REMIXXXX.[9]

On August 29, 2020, a 10th anniversary edition was released,[10] remastered by Troy Glessner.[11]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Becky Ninkovic; all music is composed by Derek Adam, Devon Clifford, Krista Loewen, and Stephen O'Shea

No.TitleLength
1."There Is XXXX (within my heart)"4:39
2."Glory"2:14
3."Dark Days"4:46
4."Cosmic Wanship Avengers"3:32
5."Lonely's Lunch"4:44
6."Make XXXX"4:0
7."Laura Palmer's Prom"4:44
8."She's Spoken For"3:49
9."XXXX/Loyalty"3:25
10."Heart of Gold"4:08

Production

Band

  • Becky Ninkovic – vocals, arrangements
  • Devon Clifford – drums, backing vocals, arrangements
  • Derek Adam – guitar, backing vocals, arrangements
  • Krista Loewen – keyboards, vocals, arrangements
  • Stephen O'Shea – bass, backing vocals, arrangements

Session members

  • Shawn Penner – percussion (additional)
  • Saara Itkonen – backing vocals (additional)
  • Tamarack Hockin – backing vocals (additional)
  • Melissa Gregerson – backing vocals (additional), writing, arrangements

Production

  • Derek Adam – design, photography
  • Brock McFarlane – engineering (assistant)
  • Steve Hall – mastering
  • Ted Gowans – mixing (assistant)
  • Chris Janzen – other (group dynamic calibrator)
  • Sharla Sauder – other (vocal coach)
  • Devon Clifford – photography
  • Todd Duym – photography
  • Shawn Penner – producer
  • Becky Ninkovic – producer (additional), engineering (additional), artwork
  • Howard Redekopp – producer, engineering, mixing, photography

References

  1. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Review: XXXX". Allmusic. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  2. ^ "You Say Party: XXXX". Pitchfork. February 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  3. ^ Hernandez, Raoul (March 19, 2010). "You Say Party! We Say Die!: XXXX Album Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "You Say Party - XXXX". Paper Bag Records. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  5. ^ "XXXX keeps You Say Party! We Say Die! together" Archived August 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Georgia Straight, October 8, 2009.
  6. ^ Janes, Steve (2020-09-14). "You Say Party's XXXX is now on our online shop!". WithGuitars Music Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  7. ^ "Blue Rodeo, BSS on Polaris long list" Archived September 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, June 17, 2010.
  8. ^ "2010 Western Canadian Music Award Winners". BreakOut West. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  9. ^ Hudson, Alex (21 July 2010). "You Say Party Unveil REMIXXXX Album, Announce European Tour and BC Dates". exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  10. ^ Slingerland, Calum (2020-07-30). "You Say Party Treat 'XXXX' to Vinyl Reissue". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  11. ^ "You Say Party! We Say Die! XXXX LP". Elusive Disc. Retrieved 2024-04-21.