Toronto’s finest PUP return with a raw, raucous, and emotionally unfiltered fifth album that turns self-loathing into an art form—and somehow makes it a blast.

Words by Felix Bartlett | April 30, 2025

---

PUP‘s fifth album, Who Will Look After the Dogs?, is the sound of a band older, maybe wiser, but still joyfully self-destructive. It’s a record steeped in contradictions, tightly played but emotionally unhinged, chaotic yet calculated, heavier than ever yet somehow more open-hearted. From the distorted mania of opener “No Hope” to the bittersweet final strums of “Shut Up,” the Toronto punks continue to weaponise self-awareness with a level of glee that makes all the misery go down just a little too easy.

Right out of the gate, ‘Olive Garden’ lobs absurdity at sentimentality, blending fast, filthy guitars with what feels like a meme in chorus form. It’s awkward, maybe even irritating, but that discomfort is precisely the point. PUP have always been masters of laying bare the emotional contradictions of adulthood—how grief can live inside a joke, how humour can be a fist raised against despair.

‘Concrete’ shifts the record back on course, slicing through with venom and precision, and from there, the album locks into its stride. ‘Best Revenge’ and ‘Needed To Hear It’ echo the band’s greatest strengths: melodic gut-punches sung by people who sound like they’re laughing through the pain.

This time around, there’s more sonic grime, thanks in no small part to producer John Congleton, whose instincts to push the band toward grit over gloss helps strip everything to its nervy core. ‘Get Dumber’ (featuring Jeff Rosenstock, of course) is as anarchic as its title implies, the kind of track destined to blow out speakers and brains alike on tour. ‘Paranoid,’ by contrast, builds slowly, its fury arriving in waves, its climax teetering just on the edge of collapse. The messy edges feel deliberate here, like frayed wires sparking with the thrill of not knowing what’s next.

Lyrically, Babcock delivers some of his sharpest, most devastating lines yet, particularly on ‘Hallways,’ a song that drips with betrayal and self-blame before crashing into its title-dropping chorus like a confession too long held back. It’s in these moments (when the bravado cracks and the jokes stall) that the band reveals its evolution. There’s still rage and nihilism, but there’s also grief, empathy, and even (whisper it) acceptance.

Musically, PUP let themselves stretch. ‘Hunger For Death’ briefly dips into a retro swing vibe before detonating into their trademark fuzz-stomp chaos. ‘Falling Outta Love’ flirts with Americana via harmonica and strummed melancholy, while ‘Shut Up’ brings the curtain down with a line so cutting it feels carved out of bone: “You’ve got your master’s thesis, I’ve got my stupid little songs.” It’s hilarious and sad and quietly brilliant—everything PUP does best.

Is it their strongest record? Probably not. But that’s missing the point. Who Will Look After the Dogs? isn’t aiming to be flawless—it’s aiming to be real. And in a genre where authenticity is too often reduced to volume, PUP remind us that true catharsis lives in the details: in the crack of a voice, the stumble of a riff, the admission that we’re all still trying to figure it out. It’s a gloriously messy, emotionally raw, and surprisingly hopeful new chapter in the story of a band that has never pretended to have it all together—and that’s exactly why they resonate so deeply.

Verdict: 💀💀💀💀

For fans of: Rozwell Kid, Mom Jeans, Pkew Pkew Pkew

Who Will Look After The Dogs? drops on the 5th May via Rise Records