Why Partner Rules by Charlotte Dempsey (2016)
Partner
The first time I saw Partner was at Sappyfest X and I had literally zero idea what they would sound like. The show was in a sweaty bowling alley, late into the last night of the festival, and I felt like I was gonna pass out from sunburn meets dehydration. I could barely stand, on 8 hours of sleep after three frantic days, and I knew that I had to see every moment of that show. The memories from that night are a little foggy for many reasons, but I do remember some important things: Partner rule. Partner blew that sweaty lil bowling alley to pieces. Partner are worth every dime, and every minute of your time. Partner will make you smile till you can’t feel your cheeks, and scream until you make your own ears ring.
The second time I saw Partner was at Stereophonic XIII. I was the only girl on a tour full of boys, and it was insane fun to watch my male compatriots loose their minds in a crowd dominated by young women, while these cool gals broed down and ripped mind numbing solos. It was my second time hearing most of the songs, and thereafter they became eternally stuck in my head. I can’t remember what I did or didn’t say to Josée and Lucy that night, but I’m certain whatever it was was 0% chill and 100% embarrassing in the best way.
Okay, so Partner is the epitome of Sackville brilliance. The music itself is very full bodied. Cohesive, consonant, and chordy. Very strong sounds that all agree with each other. I could talk for literally 10,000 years about how much I adore Lucy and Josée’s earlier Killer Haze bands, Yellowteeth and The Mouthbreathers, and Partner is no different. Their upcoming EP will absolutely see unreasonable circulation in our tour vehicle, to the point where my bandmates and I get matching stick and pokes to commemorate our infatuation… again. And that’s one of the things that I think is so dope about these two women writing music together! They’re just buds hanging out, writing killer songs together, and it makes me want to do the same thing!
I think Partner rules because one of my favourite things in life is listening to things women have to say. I think Partner rules because they remind me why I love playing music with my best friends. I think Partner rules because they sound like the 90s and I love the 90s. I think Partner rules because they don’t give a shit. They’re loud, they’re proud, they’re lesbians leading the way and they’re gonna take over the world.
Charlotte Dempsey is Peterborough musician who plays in 2015 Kazoo! Fest artists, The Lonely Parade as well as Faux Cults.
