Hamilton indie rockers Tripper and the Wild Things have just released the debut single from their upcoming EP, Fever Dreams. “Get Burnt” is a high energy pop-punk track with a huge chorus that is sure to get listeners moving. We caught up with Tripper and the Wild Things to chat about the new song, Canadian bands they’re currently diggin’, and the coolest show they’ve played. (Please be warned – reading this interview might make you hungry for pizza.)
From The Strait: Tell us about the new single, “Get Burnt”.
Tripper & the Wild Things: “Get Burnt” is the first single off our forthcoming Fever Dreams EP. The entire EP’s theme deals with the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood. The tune is about making those mistakes, learning from them, and reflecting on it all afterwards when you find yourself further down the road. Get Burnt aims to remind listeners of the times growing up with friends where you’d try to squeeze as much as you can out of those last, dog days of summer.
FTS: Every band has their own way of creating songs – what is your songwriting process like?
Tripper & the Wild Things: We’re strong proponents of the Voice Recorder app when writing songs as a group. Get Burnt was an amalgamation of 2 or 3 different song fragments we had lying around in a communal folder that we then fleshed out into a fully formed song. Simon (our producer) also worked out some great structure alterations and production elements, particularly the slowdown outro.
FTS: What are some Canadian bands you can’t get enough of right now? Any recommendations for our readers?
Tripper & the Wild Things: shoutout to some great local acts cutting their teeth out there: Sun Junkies, Felkers, Sundried Whales and some bigger canadian acts I’ve been deep diving lately Jaguar Sun, Dilly Dally, Dad Sports
FTS: What was the coolest (and/or weirdest) live show you’ve ever played?
Tripper & the Wild Things: Coolest Live show we’ve played.
I’d have to say our coolest live show was 2022 NXNE Festival in Toronto. It was the first festival we played, it was a smaller venue with intimate vibes and the crowd was feeling it. We brought our A-game on stage and played a lot of newer songs we wrote as a 5 piece where we’ve really found our sound and fine tuned our songwriting.
FTS: What’s one question you wish you were asked in an interview? (And what’s your answer to it?)
Tripper & the Wild Things: What’s your favourite kind of pizza?
Eric (bass, vocals) – “At the moment, pepperoni and cheese, sliced jalapeños, and a little bit of drizzled honey.”
Brian (drums) – “Thin crust pizza with sausage, red peppers, and caramelized onions.”
Josh (lead vocals, guitar) – “Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. (Hit me with that cheese coma.)”
James (rhythm guitar) – “Currently? La Cima from Cima Enoteca on Locke Street in Hamilton. Wood oven pizza with mascarpone, fiore di late, roasted garlic, coppa di parma,
pecorino romano, arugula, chili flakes, and olive oil.”
Pete (lead guitar, keys, vocals) – “Thin crust pizza with some red onion, chicken, mushrooms and basil.
Check out “Get Burnt”, the new single from Tripper and the Wild Things!
