Toronto punk heroes PUP— comprised of Stefan Babcock, Nestor Chumak, Zack Mykula, and Steve Sladkowski— will release their highly anticipated forthcoming album ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?‘ this Friday, May 2nd via Little Dipper / Rise Records. Today they share one final album teaser with Olive Garden, a caustic track written from the perspective of Babcock’s past youthful naivete that started as an acoustic demo and turned into one of the heaviest songs on the record. The band is also sharing a video as goofy as the song, created by the band’s own Nestor.
“This is a very stupid, but also wonderful song. The band get all the credit for turning it into something really special. Zack (who plays drums) heard my cute little acoustic guitar demo and decided we should try and make it as heavy as possible. Which is objectively, a very annoying thing to suggest. But you know what, I’m glad I kept my stupid mouth shut, because it works. There’s a real magic in the way these sweet vocal melodies are bludgeoned by a wall of disgusting, grinding, detuned guitars. The whole song is kinda upsetting and uncomfortable but also, catchy and fun. And I don’t care what anyone says, ‘Olive Garden’ rhymes with ‘Grandma in a coffin’ – listen to this crap and tell me I’m wrong.”
FUN FACT: The nearest Olive Garden to Toronto is on the U.S. side of Niagra Falls. In fact, there are only nine locations in all of Canada, and I’m only somewhat confident that they are still up and running. On May 1, PUP will make that 10! That’s right, PUP are bringing Olive Garden back to Toronto, baby. Before album release this Friday, lucky Torontonians will be treated to a very special and very committed-to-the-bit album launch party. The event will feature an album playback, short live set from PUP, Olive Garden-inspired music, decor, and food from Matty Matheson’s beloved Rizzo’s House of Parm, and more surprises to come.
Reminder to call your dogsitter, because PUP will bring ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ on the road all year, touring the UK/EU, Australia and of course North America.
‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ is PUP’s pummelling and cathartic fifth LP, is their most immediate, no-frills, and hard-hitting full-length yet. It was made in Los Angeles with producer John Congleton over the course of three weeks, and it’s the culmination of PUP’s past decade of constant touring and their palpable, livewire chemistry. The album evokes the lightning-in-a-bottle intensity of their self-titled debut (except they are much better at their instruments now), and finds our self-deprecating frontman Stefan Babcock at his most reflective, vulnerable and prolific. Over 12 tracks, Babcock excavates his life’s relationships—romantic, with his bandmates, and most ruthlessly, his relationship to himself. There’s plenty of growth, but also plenty of unpredictable mayhem in the arrangements and an acerbic bite in the writing. And, while PUP historically are at one another’s throats during the album process, this time they scrapped their tedious perfectionism and rediscovered the joy of making loud music together.
“Within days of announcing our last album, coincidentally titled ‘The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND’, my life unexpectedly imploded. I wrote the lyrics for ‘Hallways’ while all that was going on. It was a weird fucking week,” says Babcock. “The title of our new record, ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’, is what I wrote at the top of the page, the very first thing written for this album. I think it’s devastating, but in a ‘holy shit this is overdramatic’ kinda way. At least in context of the line that comes before it. That’s what makes it funny to us. That overblown stuff we all say in our dark moments can be hilarious once you’ve cooled off a bit. I don’t know if anyone else thinks it’s funny, but sometimes you gotta laugh at yourself. It’s the only way out of the abyss. Trust me.”
OLIVE GARDEN IS OUT NOW
‘WHO WILL LOOK AFTER THE DOGS?’ WILL BE RELEASED ON MAY 2 – PRE-SAVE / PRE-ORDER HERE
PUP
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 2025 TOUR
Tickets on sale now via Destroy All Lines
Tuesday 5 August – Tuning Fork, Auckland NZ (LIC/AA)
Wednesday 6 August – San Fran, Wellington NZ (18+)
Friday 8 August – Princess Theatre, Brisbane QLD (18+)
Saturday 9 August – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW (18+)
Sunday 10 August – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Tuesday 12 August – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide SA (18+)
Thursday 14 August – Magnet House, Perth WA (18+)
With thanks to Dallas Does PR
