After their brilliant 2019 record, PUP follows it up with a expansive and billowing meta concept record... For better and for worse.
While Pop Punk in the 2010s has been in the indie and sometimes niche set of music listening during that time, it managed to evolve as certain bands start picking it up and blending it with a sharper edge that makes it sound more explosive and punchy, think of a genre like post-hardcore with a lyrical side of emo content that probably might not be easy for those who are into the 2000s side of pop-punk but still garner an audience that may prefer those post-hardcore touchups that make the emotional depth in the lyrics and composition gain more power and resonance. And with a band like PUP, they sure definitely fit those boxes with their sound palette that blasts and bassoons in spades, only empowered by their knack for tight melodies, vocal firepower, and emotive lyrical frustrations that makes their records striking. While their first two records still showcase some growth to find, ‘Morbid Stuff’ was the record that truly struck and definitely served as the album that finally showed their refinement in melodies, production, and lyrical depth that made that album so catchy, so explosive, and so tight all across the board.
However, this newest record was an interesting shift for the band. Trying to go meta as they label themselves as some kind of megacorporate company, making these songs as a way to piss themselves off and possibly point those frustrations towards them while also adventuring into sillier but sincere topicality. They sure have unraveled that further as they amped up more of the compression and instrumentation, which seems to be a way to compress their frustrations and expand their instrumental depth as a band as they still showcase their greatest weapon, which is to create bombastic tunes. And the melodies do sound bombastic on some crevices, ‘Totally Fine’ with its coursing groove and an excellent hook, ‘Robot Writes A Love Song’ with its driving melody and stable tempo, same goes with ‘Matilda’ thanks to the instrumental buildup to that explosive chorus, and ‘PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filling For Bankcruptcy’ ending the record with a punchy and explosive finish.
But as much as it does pop like fireworks, the melodies aren’t as sharp as the absolutely wonderful highlights from ‘Morbid Stuff’. The melodies are still solid for the most part, but it feels like a step back, especially with the compression around a lot of these tracks that make them lack breathing room to let loose and how the inclusion of effects on the vocals make the tunes sound too blemished and overloaded, which makes tracks like ‘Grim Reaping’ and ‘Relentless’ not cut through due to how compressed and vocally blemished it sounded. And while the meta framing on a lot of these songs is interesting, it doesn’t really go all the way through and their execution of the meta-framing on a lot of these songs felt a bit more blatant and plain.
It’s quite disappointing because the band ends up making a solid record where the tight hooks and compositional firepower still shine through, but with their execution of this meta-commentary towards themselves and certain choices in the lyrical and production aspect that felt intentional but did not go far enough, just feels a bit standard.
Favorite Tracks: Totally Fine, Robot Writes A Love Song, Matilda, PUPTHEBAND Inc Is Filing For Bankruptcy, Waiting
Least Favorite Track: Grim Reaping