Toronto punk quartet PUP are back with word of their forthcoming fourth album, the theatrically titled THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND, coming April 1 on Little Dipper / Rise Records, and described in a press release as “not just the next PUP record, but the *most* PUP record.” Lead single “Robot Writes A Love Song” is out now alongside a music video.
Stefan Babcock, Nestor Chumak, Zack Mykula and Steve Sladkowski recorded and mixed their ambitious new album in the summer of 2021, during five weeks at Grammy-winning producer Peter Katis’ (Interpol, Kurt Vile, The National) “bat-filled” Connecticut mansion. The result of these isolated, in-depth sessions features instruments entirely new to the PUP palette (“piano, synths, horns and more”), plus remote contributions from Sarah Tudzin (Illuminati Hotties), Kathryn McCauhey (NOBRO), Mel St-Pierre (Casper Skulls) and Erik Paulson (Remo Drive).
PUP’s newly expanded sound reveals itself gradually on “Robot Writes A Love Song,” which begins in melodic guitar-rock mode before downshifting into a synth- and drum machine-forward shuffle, which they seamlessly integrate into their typically anthemic, emotionally nuanced songwriting. The closely linked single and video tell the tale of a robot who attains human consciousness and promptly falls in love, only to find it’s too much for his system to handle (“Why is love this dangerous? / It’s so dangerous / Now my wires have all been exposed / And my systems menu won’t even load”).
We last heard from PUP in November 2021, when they announced a 2022 tour and shared two new songs, “Waiting” and “Kill Something”—the former appears on THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND. It’s the band’s first full-length since 2019’s Morbid Stuff.
Check out the “Robot Writes a Love Song” video (dir. Whitey McConnaughy) below, plus PUP’s 2014 Daytrotter session, and find their album details and tour dates further down. You can preorder THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND right here.
THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND Tracklist:
01. Four Chords
02. Totally Fine
03. Robot Writes A Love Song
04. Matilda
05. Relentless
06. Four Chords Pt. II: Five Chords
07. Waiting
08. Habits
09. Cutting Off The Corners
10. Grim Reaping
11. Four Chords Pt. III: Diminishing Returns
12. PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing For Bankruptcy
THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND Art:
PUP Tour Dates:
February
07 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre #
08 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre #
10 – Calgary, AB @ Big Four #
11 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Convention Centre #
14 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum #
March
27 – Hamilton, ON @ Bridgeworks?
28 – Kingston, ON @ The Ale House?
29 – Peterborough, ON @ The Venue
April
01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre ^ *
02 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall ^ *
03 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre ^ *
05 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore ^ *
08 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom ^?
09 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom ^
10 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^
11 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom ^ +
15 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
16 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^ +
24 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre ^ +
27 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater ^ +
28 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^ +
29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater ^ +
May
01 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
03 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ^ +
04 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz ^ +
05 – Richmond, VA @ The National ^ +
06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall ^ +
07 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore Silver Spring ^ +
09 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom ^ +
10 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^ +
11 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 ^ +
13 – Montreal, QC @ MTelus ^ +
14 – Toronto, ON @ History ^ +
15 – Toronto, ON @ History ^ +
July
08 – Cheltenham, UK @ 2000trees Festival
23 – Byron Bay, Australia @ Splendour in the Grass
August
24-27 – Málaga, Spain @ Canela Party Festival
(# with Billy Talent & NOBRO)
(^ with support from Pinkshift)
(* with support from Cloud Nothings)
(+ with support from Sheer Mag)
