Release Date: 2 May 2025
Song Count: 12
Duration: 35 minutes, 50 seconds
Rating: 8.3/10
Description:
Song Count: 12
Duration: 35 minutes, 50 seconds
Rating: 8.3/10
Description:
A band that has been on my radar for a while is getting some attention today, as Canadian punk rock band PUP's fifth and most recent album is on the map for today's musical journey. Known for making tracks filled to the brim with hyper energy and fast tempos, these guys have been blaring their tunes to the world for 16 years now, and seemingly having a blast whilst doing so. A lot of the tracks in this album came from a rather uncheerful time for the main songwriter and singer Stefan Babcock around the time of their previous full-length release in 2022, and later down the line got repackaged into their current forms, hence the deeper and more sentimental lyrics.
The music PUP makes, regardless of its intended tone, has always carried an unbridled and carefree sort of aura around it through the proactive guitars and fast nature of their tracks, and these twelve are no different in that regard. Tackling the different stages of getting over another person lyrically, the instrumentals as well as Babcock's shouting vocals act as one segmented sprint, rushing quickly and loudly from start to finish. Every song gets their own sort of theming and framing to stand out, and there are plenty of melodic touches that further distinguish them and give them heaps of vitality and character.
In spite of punk rock having a reputation for containing an unpolished and almost dirty sort of sound, PUP breaks that expectation with well-crafted music that nevertheless carries the punk spirit with it. All of it leads to a solid and very enjoyable dozen tracks that hit the listener thoroughly in their senses and stimulate the ears. Especially the riffs in "Falling Outta Love" and the satisfying build-up of the closer "Shut Up" really stood out to me in particular as the brightest highlights, though it is difficult to argue that there is even any sort of stagnant moment in this album at all. A shorter but sweet punk rock record all around. Bonus points for the dogs driving a car in the cover art.