The Riptides refine their Ottawa, Ontario streets over thirty-five years of experience with Burn After Listening.
The punk standard jolts open with "We Came to Destroy," and a choice opening fill from Darren Chewka of Teenage Bottlerocket fame, who drums the entire LP alongside his bandmate, guitarist Kody Templeman. "Smile" crushes as a nice hybrid of Bad Religion Suffer and Pennywise's About Time, but under a fresh direction from band-captain and vocalist Andy Vandal. This is the thesis of the entire production: a Blasting Room recording not only touting TBR alumni, but heavy hitters from Screeching Weasel, the Queers, Lone Wolf, and Insanity Alert... yet it is Andy's unique delivery and writing style that hoists the 2025 release up to its own face on the Mount Rushmore of punk rock classics. "End of the World" taps with the earnestness of the Bouncing Souls or Flatliners, "Bad Habit" ups the pop sensibility with three-chord progressions and a catchy chorus. "She's the Most" drips with the repetition and echoes of a great Weasel song, but with a likeness and resolve all its own.
"Cut it Out" breaks up the mood with some tough guy group leads in just 30 seconds, "Anti-social" opens up big verses for Vandal's voice to fill the void, along with some expert playing from Riptide bassist Bob Goblin, who carries his piece of the puzzle throughout the entire release. "My Heart's Tattooed on my Sleeve" is intentionally cute, to frequencies last visited by bands like the Teen Idols, and is a really special moment of the record. "Do You Hear What I Hear" shreds with faster tempos from Chewka and an El Hefe level guitar solo. "Give Up" is a spectacular song, riddled with harmonies and more worry rock. "Lie To Me" picks the hearts off of the floor with more quick downstrokes and gravelly hooks.
"Get Over You" blends more greaser rock and roll with the beautiful Epi-Fat mix, while "The One Thing" dials the tempo down to the slowest thus-far, leaving a great space for the honest lyrical content. "Bottom Feeder" does the exact opposite, cranking the throaty vox on pitted double-time drums. Fucking awesome song. "Fade to Black" is the absolute best of the session, a sad bop and a direct nod to time passed and the inevitability of it all.
The Riptides know damn well what they are doing, and with 15 rippers in just 30 minutes, Burn After Listening is a lot to enjoy without having to waste any time getting there. Each song carries craftsmanship, as well as a great cheers to the artists that influence said work... shit, any of these tunes would dominate their slot on an old Punk-O-Rama compilation, and I mean that as my deepest compliments. Killer album.