PUP – Self Titled

In the midst of SideOneDummy’s more conventional signings like The Sounds and Dresses, it’s refreshing to see the young talent of Toronto, Ontario’s PUP enthusiastically joining the diverse label.  The ambitious quartet brings their sense of unhinged experimental pop-punk to an audience that has not likely heard anything like it in quite some time. 

The band’s self titled full-length throws caution to the wind all the while pumping out catchy hooks with sing-along potential.  PUP is here to entertain on its own terms, and opener “Guilt Trip” finds the band turning out squealing guitars flooded in feedback and distortion.  Time signatures fly and fluctuate with all the spastic focus of your hyperactive little cousin after downing a bagful of Rockets at Pixie Sticks on Halloween night.  Astonishingly the band harnesses this disarray to make “Guilt Trip” and follow-up “Reservoir” two of the sweatiest and most addicting anthems you’ll scream along to this year.  Inserting flashes of gang vocals and belted leads, PUP invites listeners to feel like part of the fray and get in on all or sorts of inside jokes.

Reinforcing PUP’s diversity, the craziness takes place across a full spectrum of tempos.  Take the ebb and flow of “Never Try” and “Yukon” in which slow beats reveal a thoughtful layer of lyricism surrounded by a series of unpredictable spikes that mean PUP never run the risk of flatling.  In fact, listening to PUP brings back memories of hearing Billy Talent for the first time and thinking, “this debut has it all!”  While both bands are very different sonically, they’re cut from the same fabric in that there really aren’t many, if any, bands to compare PUP with in today’s scene.  This type of originality is what is getting PUP noticed and what makes anticipating their next step so exciting.

That’s not to say this is a perfect album – some of the album’s energy peters out around “Lionheart” and “Cul-De-Sac” for the back half, although “Factories” turns things around pretty quick – but it’s a darn good debut.  Having listened to the disc for a few months with no sign of PUP’s eclectic brand of musicianship wearing thin, it’s safe to say that these Ontario natives are the genuine articles.  If you’re in need a flash of energy to jumpstart your otherwise predictable playlists, look no further than PUP.