PUP - Who Will Look After The Dogs?

PUP may appear to be a tried-and-tested pop-punk band at first listen – but clearly, not everything is what it seems. While ‘No Hope’ comes out of the gate swinging, there’s a brooding nature to this version of the quartet - like a sunny day threatened by an impending thunderstorm - in which their fifth full-length ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ challenges the listener’s assumptions of what a punk record is today.

A record that tugs at the heartstrings, PUP leap and bound through fields of melancholy, finding balance between bittersweet lyrical tales, upbeat pop-punk foundations, and lingering emo influences. Tracks like ‘Hallways’ and ‘Best Revenge’ play with atypical nuances where elements of pop and indie rock make the genre - which can often feel stale - fresh. ‘Olive Garden’, for example, boasts that witty, unserious attitude that never truly gets old, while ‘Hunger For Death’ drives home the satirical aspect of the genre with the words: “Fuck everyone on this planet / Except for you”. Similarly, PUP bear that same storytelling aspect that punk bands are well known for – an emotive, personal narration of events. Unafraid to toy with expectations - both the listeners and their own - ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ tackles both the familiar and new, while perhaps still a little blue.