Interview with Norway’s Tim Burrito vs. The Emo Vampires

By Staff | October 16, 2026

What made this the right time to come back together and make a pop-punk record after years of playing in different bands?

Christian Lucien Bodin: It was probably more about opportunity and timing, than decisions being made. We are all with families now, but our love for making and playing music is still a big part of who we are. When the project started, none of us were really touring or making music in other bands and the holistic nature of this project, allowed us to not worry too much about where it was going or when it was happening, and more about what we wanted to do, which was to make a pop-punk album for us and our friends.

You’ve mentioned that you made a kickass record “because we could,” but when did you first realize it was actually turning into something kickass?

It basically meant that if you are making art or anything creative, share it. If you make music and enjoy it, chances are so will others. Not sharing would be a pretty selfish option in my opinion. We need art. Your art. By the time the demos were done, it was already pretty sick, but the moment Simen stepped in to write and record drums, it turned outrageous. Remi later came in to teach us all how bass is done, and it took the songs to a whole new level in my opinion.

What does growing up in the Bergen punk and hardcore scene bring to your music that you probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else?

I got to hang out with a whole group of awesome people who loved making, playing and listening to music. People showed up at each other’s shows, wrote songs together, played together, started new bands left and right. Everyone we knew were in bands, and the community had a strong sense of support all around. So much good music within the punk/hardcore scene is being made in Norway. Taking Names, Still Shaking, Oh See Demons, Forgetaboutit, Korrupt, Skanimals, Freddy Caused Pain... The list goes on and on and on and on. Some of these dudes jumped straight on when I invited them to join on tracks, and I ended up having three songs with features from bands like Still Shaking, Freddy Caused Pain and Telle. People from all over the scene, whether I still talk to them regularly or not, reached out when the album came out, just to talk music and share the hype.

How much of what you loved about pop-punk growing up do you hang onto, and what parts of the genre are you more than happy to ditch? For the latter, feel free to mention bands by name, we have a lawyer.

I might try to lean into the roller coaster-nature of the whole genre and adjacent genres. Happy vibes with sad lyrics, serious tones filled with self-targeted humour. The garage-like feel to the songs, making it feel like it was possible to pour out bangers with a shitty guitar from someone’s bedroom. Freedom to write whatever the fck I feel like, accepting that all my songs potentially will be associated with generic whining and early 2000s high school movies. I try not to set myself too many rules, especially of stuff not to do. I end up breaking them looking like a complete douchebag.

The Emo Vampires seems (sort of deliberately) less like a band lineup and more like a community, so how did that idea develop?

That’s sounds cool, sure. When I first started writing the songs, I didn’t really have a plan. By the time I started recording, the lineup naturally formed when, Esteban Munoz (Bob Junior), Simen and Remi all jumped in to help shape the album to what it is. Guest features from guys like Mats (Still Shaking), Martin (Telle) and Sindre (Taking Names, Freddy Caused Pain) really helped complete the vibe for me. When I wrote Kiss Me, it was written to me Mats specifically, fortunately he sent me his vocals within 24 hours and BOOM, a kickass tune with one of the best dudes I know. This type of community and enthusiasm for creating music is what made the whole album come together and is what I think is working. We’re still a band (Simen, Remi and I), but I think Tim Burrito vs. The Emo Vampires will always exist around the idea of being made by- and for the community.

You say pop-punk fans will fuck with the record because you’re fans yourselves, so what does a pop-punk song have to get just right before it passes your own test?

To me a song just needs to have something to enjoy, it doesn’t have to be the melodies, the energy, the lyrics, guitars, subject or theme all at once. A song just needs to be enjoyable in any capacity. Some songs are carried by great riffs, some carried by melodies. It really doesn’t matter. It just has to make me feel something, however that comes, it’s a tune for me.

There’s a lot of humor in the way you present yourselves, but you've also said that making good tunes is very serious. Where does the screwing around end and the serious work begin.

It is not always important to me to distinguish between screwing around and being serious, they are often both required for me to enjoy my own songs. I make music to enjoy it, but I enjoy working hard to make music. We screw around quite seriously, and we seriously screw around. Working on our craft and improving is a big part of that enjoyment and is perhaps the “business end” of our music.

You've said you'd rather be a musician with a day job than a clown who makes music. What does being a musician actually mean to you at this point in your lives?

It means making and playing music, period. Having watched the music industry from the outside for years, I find the development quite fascinating. Producing and releasing music has become way cheaper and easier than it used to be. You can basically write, record and release all your music from one laptop in your bedroom. This is great, because the obstacle of being picked up by a big production company, label or studio has been removed. Which is great, because artists can now produce music without major label backing. This way, distribution is not stopped by marketability or revenue potential for big labels.

However, this results in vast amounts of good (and bad) music being released all the time, and for listeners, the pool is getting ridiculously hard to navigate. New cool tunes are constantly being fed through your algorithms, and the need to look for new music is fading for most people. The listeners are used to being fed new tracks all the time, and to stay relevant, bands are forced to release music or content constantly to not be “forgotten” or lose the attention to bands/artists that does. Cycles have shortened and we are used to being entertained on demand. We are already getting questions about when we are releasing new material, we dropped a full album in august this year. What in the fucking fuck

The distinction between “big” and “small” bands/artists seems to no longer be talent, but exposure and attention, basically marketing. Something that as an independent artist basically means, producing all the music in-house, play hundreds of shows to gain following, feeding and growing your following by producing content through social media platforms, to even dream to compete with the “big” artists. You basically must be a viral sensation on youtube to be making a living as an independent artist.

Artists are now in a position where they have to do everything, and if they don’t have time to be a full-time musician, make a living AND have a full-time influencer career, they are at the mercy of the same dudes who used to gatekeep distribution who has basically admitted to having a price tag to get a #1 hit.

I respect artists putting time into content, we do it ourselves to stay in touch with our network and to make it seem like we exist at all, but it still feels like sucking corporate dicks every time I do, and it’s a whole other artform I’m not sure I’m mastering. The part about making and playing music is diminishing, and the part where you have to be the hamster in the wheel, making sure social media platforms remain relevant, and that streaming platforms economic growth is growing. I really hope we find something different very soon. Too many amazing artists and bands have to work full time jobs and can barely make a living off something we all love to consume.

That being said, I love making music, but for now I’ll rather keep my day job than try to run a full-time influencer career. I hope fans of music find our stuff regardless and can enjoy it like we do.  Bring back myspace, and go see live shows of your local bands, chances are, the best band you will ever hear is playing a show at your local venue this weekend, and your reels will probably not help you find them.

We would like to thank everyone who loves music, makes music or plays music.
Special thanks to:

Bob Junior (https://www.instagram.com/bobjunior)
Still Shaking: (https://www.instagram.com/still_shaking_official)
Dead Lips (https://www.instagram.com/dead_lips_official)
Mats Gjelsvik (https://www.instagram.com/gjelsviken)
Sindre Toft (https://www.instagram.com/sindredt)
Taking Names (https://www.instagram.com/takingnamesno)
Martin Telle (https://www.instagram.com/martintelle)

Thank you again for showing interest in our music, all the best - 
Tim Burrito vs. The Emo Vampires

Links

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/timburritoxvampires/sets/generic-whining
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5uBQeovHLJ1uZIchCxNYh0?si=ASP5OSQ7SkuK3gwinVjFsw
NRK urort: https://urort.p3.no/artist/tim-burrito-vs-the-emo-vampires