PUP returns with new single
PUP are back with their first new single in two years, sharing the new track “Paranoid”.
The Toronto punk band’s latest offering follows their fourth album, THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND, released in 2022 and produced by John Congleton.
Song insights from Stefan Babcock
“My favorite part of this song is the breakdown at 1:45,” explains Stefan Babcock. “Whenever we try to do a heavy break with catchy vocals, we end up sounding like the worst melodic hardcore band in the world. But somehow it worked in this song. I think because it’s so intense in the moment that it’s kind of funny and hard to take seriously. There is some humor in it and the way it contradicts what I’m shouting about I really like. Plus, Nestor plays the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on bass at the lowest point of the song, and every time I hear it, it just drives me crazy.”
The track arrives alongside a new video directed by Jeremy Shaulin-Rioux, who shares: “What started out as a way to keep the bloody and heartbreaking lyrics of ‘Paranoid’ front and center has turned into a little love letter to a rock band’s merchandise and unsung heroes who run the trading table. Special thanks to co-director Clem Honey and all the true PUP fans who came and worked so hard to do a hundred takes!”
The band is also launching “MORE BAD STUFF – A PUPTHEBAND Substack,” a digital continuation of their zine series that will feature unreleased songs, discussions of the writing process, track walkthroughs, comics, photography, live footage, and tour stories.
Upcoming tour dates
PUP have announced tour dates for the UK, Europe, and Canada, with the Illuminati Hotties serving as the opening act in Europe and the UK (excluding the Spanish dates) and Goo joining the UK dates.
The dates read in full:
JANUARY
10. Save On Foods Memorial Centre, Victoria, Canada
11. Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
13. Prospera Place, Kelowna, Canada
16. Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Canada
17. Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada
18. Sasktel Centre, Saskatoon, Canada
20. Canada Life Place, Winnipeg, Canada
23. Meridian Centre, St. Catharines, Canada
24. Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Canada
25. Place Bell, Laval, Canada
27. Budweiser Gardens, London, Canada
28. Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada
30. Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada
MAYBE
7. XOYO Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
8. Project House, Leeds, UK
10. O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
11. SWG3 (TV studio), Glasgow, UK
12. Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
13. Marble Factory, Bristol, UK
15. Engine Rooms, Southampton, UK
16. O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
18. Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
20. Club Volta, Cologne, Germany
21. Logo, Hamburg, Germany
22. Hole 44, Berlin, Germany
23. Strom, Munich, Germany
25. Bellevilleoise, Paris, France
27. Sala Mon, Madrid, Spain
28. Upload, Barcelona, Spain
29. Loco Club, Valencia, Spain
30. Dabadaba, San Sebastian, Spain
