With their fourth full-length studio album, “THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND,” the Toronto-based punk band PUP introduces another set of headbangers to their wild discography. Officially released April 1, the 12-song album is nothing short of addictive chaos.
Formed in 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, PUP’s formation is one that dates back to elementary school for three of the members. Finding a genuine connection in the grunge of it all, bandmates Stefan Babcock, Nestor Chumak, Zack Mykula and Steve Sladkowski grew into their PUP identities after Babcock’s grandmother dubbed playing in a rock band as a “pathetic use of potential.” Collaborating on three albums before “UNRAVELING,” the group is only growing more settled into their sound.
In true PUP fashion, the album features a refreshing balance of raging instrumentals and ear worm-inducing pop chorus sequences. “Totally Fine,” the most recent single released for the record, is one of the album’s sonic highlights, a standout from its lyrically-rich predecessors, “Robot Writes a Love Song,” “Waiting” and “Matilda.”
“Four Chords,” the three-part interlude scattered throughout the tracklist, offers a sobering—though at times very brief—break from the rest of the album’s hard-hitters. Referring to his bandmates, lead vocalist Stefan Babcock tells the tale of a “board of directors” struggling to find direction. Its lyrics are passive, aggressive and everything in between, juxtaposing self-degradation with balladic piano progressions.
The remainder of the runtime, while it might sound like a set of safe choices, is still relievingly exploratory. Lyrically, PUP explores the hypothetical perspective of an old guitar on “Matilda,” a personified lovesick computer on “Robot Writes a Love Song” and a struggling indie musician on “PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing For Bankruptcy.” Once these unique perspectives become clear, the album truly soars into something that fans haven’t received from the Canadian rockers.
The half-tempo anthem of euphoria that is “Grim Reaping,” is another gem on the record. In the song, the lead singer pleads, “It’s an art how we keep tearing ourselves apart.” Serving as an exhale, the band takes on ideas of self-loathing and exhaustion, a theme that any creative is no stranger to.
At its core, “THE UNRAVELING OF PUP THE BAND” utilizes a new collection of instrumentation for the group. Horns, synths and keys are the new additions to PUP’s rigid percussion and roaring guitar, making for the perfect pop-punk cocktail.
As PUP continues their North American tour, taking a detour to Coachella along the way, the group’s latest release is the soundtrack to a season of live music that punk fans have been deprived of in the last few years. While PUP’s lyrical poetry might get lost in the mix at times, the surface of “THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND” is as much fun and anthemic as it is sarcastic and brutally honest.
PUP’s new album, “THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND,” as well as tour dates and official web pages, are available here.
