In the video to Comfort Zone, Josée Caron types two unambiguously direct messages on a computer screen: 'I hate work' and 'Kiss my ass'. This neatly encapsulates two key facts about Partner: (1).They are all about avoiding the 9 to 5 and (2) They have a defiant but driven slacker attitude.
Caron and Lucy Niles are a nerdy but nice looking duo from Ontario, Canada who are openly (and proudly) gay but 'just good friends' i.e. not partners in the biblical sense. They describe their music as "part musical act, part teenage diary and 100% queer".
The two came to the public's notice with a snappy viral hit 'The 'Ellen' Page' dedicated to the Juno star and Canada's most famous lesbian. That song isn't on this debut record even though at 38 minutes there's plenty of space for it. A wise move, I'd say, since it shows that they've moved on from this novelty tune.
The inclusion of seven brief phone call extracts and conversational snippets could give the impression they're just in the music business to get out of doing a day job. One 'skit' features Josée's Dad and another is called Piss Pants Tampon. But for a pair who love to slob out and clown around they are driven and serious when it comes to their music.
The 12 'real' songs of bright guitar pop are strong, vibrant and full of youthful energy. The album was mixed by Chris Shaw; a sound choice since he has worked with similar irreverent power pop bands Ween and Weezer.
Partner prefer to write only about what they know and this includes getting a sentimental education from Daytime TV and finding what appears to be a sex toy while snooping around in the room of a flatmate (Sex Object). Everybody Knows is about getting high in public.
The first song they wrote was Gross Secret which prepares the ground for their mix of offbeat humour and risqué confessionals : "I've got a gross secret. If I haven't told you it's because I haven't gotten around to it, yet".
In short, Partner pack an impressive punch with a sound that welcomes you into their world which is gay in all senses of the word: lively, light hearted, licentious and libidinous.
