The Riptides – Tales From Planet Earth

Forget what you thought you knew about The Riptides.  If you previously thought of the Ottawa four-piece as a forgettable pop-punk outfit, then it’s time to give them another listen.  In fact, their latest album,Tales From Planet Earth, could be thought of as somewhat of a relaunch for the ten-year-old group.

What’s changed you ask? Well, for starters lead vocalist Andy Vandal has completely abandoned his gruff edge and now resembles some sort of Lillingtons–Methadones-Mark Hoppus hybrid.  His enunciation is now slow and calculated, and his demeanor calm and reserved.  While many of their contemporaries have been doing this for years, Vandal’s delivery actually eclipses the majority of The Riptides’ inspirations, and places them on par with touted genre staples like Teenage Bottlerocket and the aforementioned Lillingtons.

Furthermore, a choral section provides unparalleled backing harmonies, bolstering their newfound melodic core.  With backing vocals that could easily draw comparisons to godfathers of punk rock, Bad Religion, The Riptides move between varieties of more obscure influences.  Most notably, songs like “She Gets Around” feature bright and sunny Beach Boys-inspired harmonies, and the surprisingly fun “I Can’t Have A Merry Christmas” draw upon 50’s doo-wop.  Such touches really help distinguish Tales From Planet Earth from the legions of other pop-punk releases that have come to dominate 2009.

Style aside, The Riptides also demonstrate lyrical adeptness.  As the album name implies, these tracks are a combination of brief little stories and snippets covering a wide spectrum of material.  Tales From Planet Earth has it all, from love stories to science fiction heroes.  But generally they can be divided into two camps: cutesy love tales and extreme novelties.

Now, I’m typically a skeptic of albums based largely around affection because most artists end up repeating the same shallow message from song to song.  But here The Riptides stand out.  Their tracks span a spectrum of lighthearted encounters with snarky lyrics and a fun intent.  Tracks like “Hung Up” feature oogling punks with idolizing crushes as seen in passages like “see the girls with the high tops on, leather jacket with the little pink thong, she’s tearing up my heart like it was last years Valentine,” while others like “I Go Mental” comedically describe the agony of separation.  The best example, “Two Minute Penalty” compares relationships to hockey, keeping these cutesy tracks fresh even towards the album’s end.

But the real treat lies with the novelty tracks.  Undoubtedly drawing inspiration from The Lillingtons’ classic TV based album, The Too Late Show, these novelty tracks fill the album with an extra layer of life.  Specifically “Dial M For Murder” and “Omega Man” detail classic 50’s and 70’s suspense movies respectively, and “Stranger in the House” draws inspiration from early spy movies.  Here, The Riptides blend their catchy hooks with odd source material with infectious results.

The key word to remember with Tales From Planet Earth is ‘fun.’  In fact, I can’t think of another album this year as outright enjoyable and uplifting as Planet Earth.  Sure, there probably isn’t too much here that you haven’t heard before, but with Planet Earth the band has crafted a shining example of why 90’s era Fat Wreck Chords pop-punk has yet to die.  So to wrap up, Tales From Planet Earth isn’t justThe Riptides’ definitive album, it’s also my candidate for 2009’s pop-punk album of the year.