THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND - PUP: Review
PUP
is a Canadian punk band who have generated quite a bit of critical success with 4 albums across the past 10 years. Their 2019 album Morbid Stuff in particular was a critical darling and a huge fan favorite. THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is the follow up to that project, and a loose concept album about the band spending all of their labels money and then going bankrupt.
Review By Lav:
While I've never been quite as big of a fan of PUP as some critics I have been enjoying their music for years now. Morbid Stuff was my favorite of their releases to date but since then I've been a little iffy on their output. I wasn't crazy about last years This Place Sucks Ass EP even though I still love its lead single Rot. Similarly I enjoyed the lead single from this album cycle, but the actual project itself didn't quite live up to that.
If UNRAVELING is one thing, it's funny. The most consistent part about it is how the attitude and subject matter is hilarious throughout. The best example is the trio of Four Chords songs which ass up to less than 3 minutes all combined and basically serve as increasingly brief splashes of narrative throughout the record. Totally Fine is an absolutely ripping first full song on the record with ear shredding guitar lines and snarky vocals that sound like someone trying to do a punk impression of Craig Finn, in a good way. The lyrical device of not really even knowing if you're okay anymore is a pretty interesting one and I like what they do with it.
Lead single Waiting also an absolute killer. I love the speedy riffs and vicious verses that would have fit in well on the bands last project, in g good way. The real highlight of the song is the absolute snarl and anger that seeps into everything. Even the sentiment of waiting for someone that could almost be seen as sweet gets played out as unreciprocated generosity, this song rules. Closing track PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is filing For Bankruptcy is a hilarious finale that makes the very charming decision to play the lyrical theme straight. I love the bouncy riffs that feel like an insane version of surf rock and I'm not sure how anybody could hate this song.
Robot Writes A Love Song isn't quite as good of a song but it's just as funny. It walks a great line between humor and realness culminating in a shouted chorus whose sentimentality feels purposefully blown out of proportion. The lyrics are the best part and they play in well to the songs concept plus the part about not wanting to hear Black Hole Sun again never fails to make me laugh. I'm similarly split on Cutting Off The Corners which has good instrumental variety and the lyrics come off as really genuine and compelling. I can't say there are a whole ton of refrains I like on the song though. The slightly dreamy guitar riff that it returns to over and over again isn't really that interesting either.
Relentless is the longest track on the record but I think they put that time to good use. The song has meaningful shifts between punk inspired walls of distortion and sweeter more intimate moments. The latter reminds me really strongly of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I'm No Longer Afraid To Die for some reason. Habits is a surprise int he tracklist that actually has an electronic edge to it which is pretty unexpected. It's also one of the most authentically dejected songs here with the painfully real sentiment of continuing habitual behavior even when it's bad for you.
Matilda was the one single I didn't really like because it felt so generic for the band. While it does have an instrumental bridge I enjoy there aren't many catchy or memorable refrains here and the hook is still yet to win me over. I feel similar about the deep cut Grim Reaping which is probably my least favorite and the least memorable song on the record.
THE UNRAVELING isn't quite the next step forward I was hoping for. While it might be the most purely entertaining record of the bands career thus far it certainly doesn't have the best songwriting. For such a short tracklist there's a few too many lulls that tend to derail the rhythm and while the thematic cohesion makes up for some of that, it's an unfinished job. The band clearly has the talent to create something both sonically and conceptually excellent, but I feel like I'm still waiting on them to hit their artistic peak. 6/10
There's so many details in this cover and it's really fun to pick out each one. The drawing is fun and colorful and draws the eye around the whole composition immediately. It could get a little confusing to view on a small scale but would absolutely shine on a larger record cover or poster. The branding fits stylistically and the pop of color makes it stand out well from the blue sky. 8.5/10
