The Riptides claim to be a punk rock band, but don't be fooled -- they're a pop band disguised as a punk band. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Hailing from Ottawa, Canada (a fact that sometimes elicits the jibe "gabba gabba, eh?"), they play a brand of high-octane power pop that owes quite a debt to such forebears as
the Ramones,
the Clash, and
the Exploited, but there's something that sets them apart from the mainstream pop-punk crowd: something about their anger doesn't quite sink in or get under the skin -- and again, there's nothing wrong with that. On the nicely constructed "China Doll" the Riptides actually sound for all the world like
the Primitives, and on "That Girl" (not a cover of the rocksteady classic, unfortunately) the backing singers' tuneful "whoa-oh-ohs" severely undermine the snotty edge of Andy Vandal's whiskey-soaked lead vocals. Sometimes they sound almost wistful; consider this couplet from "Detention": "What's she doing with a guy like him/Spends all his time at the gym" (answered your own question there, didn't you, guys?). And sometimes they're hilariously vulgar, as on the unprintable first verse to "I Wanna Riot." But there's an essential good-naturedness to even the angriest songs on this album, which makes it questionable as punk rock but all the more charming as pop. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson