The Riptides Light the Fuse with “Bad Habit” From ‘Burn After Listening’ Album
If the world feels like it’s gone off the rails, it’s because it has—and The Riptides have the soundtrack for it. Fueled by a post-pandemic punk-rock panic attack and loaded with melodies that hit like a right hook, Burn After Listening is the Ottawa band’s most audacious record to date. Their third single, “Bad Habit,” is out now—an infectious slice of pop-punk perfection that slams like Green Day but with the heart and hangups of a bruised romantic. Think The Clash at their catchiest, Screeching Weasel at their wittiest, and The Queers with just the right amount of existential dread.
From the pounding pulse of “Bad Habit” to the chaos-soaked cover art by Ottawa visual wizard Andrew Beck, The Riptides are taking no prisoners. “This record was born in the weirdest time,” the band shares. “There was so much uncertainty, and it gave us room to really go deep. Lyrically, it’s satire, reflection, and frustration—wrapped up in fast hooks and shout-along choruses.”
Written during the darkest days of lockdown, Burn After Listening is a punk-rock grenade lobbed directly into the absurdity of the world. The Riptides decamped to The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, where engineer Andrew Berlin and mastering legend Jason Livermore (Descendents, NOFX) helped the band fine-tune every jagged edge. The result is a record that’s sharp, shiny, and primed to explode.
And explode it does. “Bad Habit,” with its punchy chorus—”You’re a bad habit that I don’t wanna quit”—is a full-blown power-pop anthem that’ll make you question every decision you’ve ever made at 2 AM. It’s the type of song you scream along to while speeding down the highway with a broken heart and a pack of regrets. Teenage Bottlerocket’s drummer Darren Chewka and guitarist Kody jump in on this one, and you can hear the adrenaline in every riff. “Having them on the track was unreal,” the band says. “We grew up on their stuff.”
But they didn’t stop there. The album also features guest vocals from Heavy Kevy of Insanity Alert and Merel from Dutch punk outfit Lone Wolf, each adding firepower to tracks like “Bottom Feeder” and “Get Over You.” “We called in some favours from friends we love and respect,” says the band. “They helped make this album bigger than we ever imagined.”
In their own words,
“Every song has its own identity, but together they make up a record that keeps you on your toes. We still sound like us, but this one pushed us creatively, sometimes into uncomfortable places. But that’s what punk is all about, right?”
And Burn After Listening is punk with purpose—rebellion with a melody and a mission. It’s a middle finger to stagnation and a love letter to those still figuring it all out. “This is us pulling apart the mess and making something loud, fast, and real. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve got killer harmonies and a ton of distortion.”
Catch The Riptides live when they bring their sonic mayhem to Ottawa very shortly. Expect sweat, shouting, maybe some spilled beer—and a whole lot of catharsis.
“You’re a bad habit that I just cannot quit…” And with songs this good, why would you even try?
Hi Bob! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourselves to the readers?
Hey! Stoked to be here. I’m Bob from The Riptides. We’re a punk rock band out of Ottawa that’s been around for a while—playing loud, fast, and fun tunes mostly about girls and sci-fi movies lol. We grew up on oldies records, the Ramones, Screeching Weasel records, and everything in between. We’ve released a bunch of records over the years, mostly built around a Frankenstein of melody and middle fingers that somehow still gets us invited back to the party.
“Burn After Listening” feels like a punk-rock panic attack in the best way—what was the emotional fuel behind this album?
That’s honestly a pretty description ha ha—thank you. The fuel behind Burn After Listening was a mix of existential dread, and anger with a touch of nostalgia, and a dose of ‘meh, whatever.’ We started writing it during the global insanity of 2020—pandemics, politics, polarization—when it felt like everything was burning down. These days, some of the songs seem even more relevant than ever.
You’ve described the lyrics as satire, reflection, and frustration—how do you balance being brutally honest while still keeping it catchy and fun?
Music always been therapy for us—but we never wanted to be the kind of band that just talks down to folks. We always wanna pepper in some humor and geeky references for good measure. The lyrics sometimes cut, but they come with a smirk. We try to write about things that matter to us, but doing it with hooks, harmonies, and a wink at the same time. If people come for the melody and leave thinking about the occasional message, that’s a win. And if not—well, hopefully they had a good time by the time the record’s done.
You brought in some punk royalty on this record—how did the collaborations with Darren Chewka, Kody, Heavy Kevy, and Merel come about?
We were incredibly lucky to have those folks jump in to help out. Darren Chewka (drummer from Teenage Bottlerocket) brought in his Canadian charm, skills, and energy to the drums that leveled everything up. Kody Templeman (also from Teenage Bottlerocket, SACK, and The Lillingtons) jumped in as well, and his instincts, talent, and DNA are all over this record—those two knew from the demo stage exactly what we were going for. Heavy Kevy (Insanity Alert, Apers) is basically Euro pop-punk royalty, and we just needed his insane energy on his track. And Merel from Lone Wolf absolutely crushed it on her track, which raised it to a whole new level. Don’t forget Mike Kennerty (All-American Rejects), who guided us through a lot of the pre-production on this record and absolutely slayed on a couple of the solos. All of them just got it—and that made the whole record better.
What can fans expect from your live shows? Are you leaning into the chaos of the new material onstage?
Our shows are still a party, and there’s always a chance a bit of chaos can break out. But we’re certainly not in our 20s anymore. We’re still playing fast, loud, and trying to play the right chords, but we also wanna enjoy the night and try to get home at a decent time lol. Expect sweat, sing-alongs, and maybe a few questionable decisions. When we play, we want the crowd to enjoy the experience with us— by the end, soaked in sweat, ears ringing, and most importantly, grinning from ear to ear.