Toronto punk quartet Bad Waitress has returned with “Lovin’ Kind,” the first single from its forthcoming album In The Hollow, marking the band’s first full-length release in five years. The album is scheduled to arrive October 30 through Stomp Records, following the single’s August 31 release.
The new project represents another step in the evolution of Bad Waitress, whose music combines elements of art punk, post-punk, garage punk, noise rock and punk rock. The group — Kali-Ann Butala, Katelyn Molgard, Moon and Nicole Cain — established its reputation through Toronto’s independent punk scene and has since brought its energetic sound to audiences beyond the city.
Running two minutes and 26 seconds, “Lovin’ Kind” was released alongside a new music video and the opening of digital and physical pre-orders for In The Hollow. The song was recorded with engineer Josh Korody at Wychwood Sound in Toronto and produced by Bad Waitress.
‘Lovin’ Kind’ Introduces a Darker Direction
The new single examines a turbulent relationship in which attraction and vulnerability become intertwined with resentment and emotional distance.
“Tell you I love you / Then destroy you,” Butala sings, establishing the conflicting emotions at the centre of the track.
The tension continues with the refrain, “I’m not the lovin’ kind,” as the song moves between intimacy and the instinct to withdraw.
Rather than presenting a conventional love story, “Lovin’ Kind” leaves the relationship deliberately unresolved. Its themes move between romance, vulnerability and self-sabotage, creating an uneasy introduction to the broader ideas explored on the forthcoming album.
Musically, the track retains the aggressive characteristics associated with Bad Waitress while pointing toward the more introspective direction of In The Hollow.
Bad Waitress Builds on Toronto Punk Roots
Bad Waitress developed its sound in Toronto’s punk underground, building an audience through live performances and recordings.
The band emerged with Party Bangers: Volume 1 in 2018 before moving into heavier territory with its 2021 album No Taste. Since then, Bad Waitress has shared stages with Fucked Up, L7, Rise Against, Wolf Parade and The Bronx.
Its sound has also drawn comparisons with acts including The Stooges, Fugazi and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
New Noise Magazine previously described the band’s music as an “all-out punk assault,” while Exclaim! characterized its evolution as “a new type of rage.”
Those descriptions reflect a musical approach built around abrasive guitars, forceful rhythms and vocals that move between melody and confrontation.
‘In The Hollow’ Explores Isolation and Personal Change
While “Lovin’ Kind” focuses on emotional uncertainty within a relationship, In The Hollow expands into themes of isolation, memory and personal transformation.
The album developed from collective and individual experiences of isolation over recent years, with the band members revisiting memories and relationships from the perspective of having changed themselves.
The record also draws imagery from the Northwest Territories and Pacific Northwest, regions where members of Bad Waitress grew up. Dark forests, expansive wilderness and elements of mysticism provide a backdrop for themes of uncertainty and isolation.
These influences give the album a geographical scope extending beyond the band’s Toronto roots while maintaining a focus on personal experiences.
Relationships, identity and sexuality are among the subjects explored across In The Hollow. The record also considers the experience of looking back at earlier versions of oneself after significant personal change.
Rather than portraying transformation as a complete separation from the past, the album examines the more complicated process of determining which experiences remain important and which can be left behind.
Five-Year Album Gap Ends in October
The October 30 arrival of In The Hollow will end a five-year gap between Bad Waitress full-length albums following No Taste in 2021.
The forthcoming record maintains the confrontational musical approach that has defined the quartet while shifting some of that intensity toward more personal and introspective themes.
With “Lovin’ Kind” serving as the first preview, Bad Waitress is beginning its latest album cycle by connecting its established punk foundations with themes of vulnerability, emotional conflict and personal change.
