Managing expectations has at all times been easy for PUP. Their preliminary ambition was merely to generate sufficient revenue to maintain touring. Now that Sum 41 has unofficially handed the torch of Canadian pop-punk to them, it is clear their dream stays vibrant and alive. Nevertheless, again in 2015, simply earlier than PUP started to achieve severe traction, they obtained a bit {of professional} recommendation that would have spelled catastrophe.
On the opening day of PUP’s 2015 fall tour supporting Fashionable Baseball, lead singer Stefan Babcock visited a health care provider, who revealed {that a} cyst on his left vocal wire had ruptured, filling with blood. “This dream of being a rock star, or no matter you’re doing, is over,” he remembered the physician saying to DIY Magazine. Fortunately, Babcock and the remainder of the band selected to disregard this grim prognosis and accomplished practically the whole tour, culminating within the launch of what would ultimately be hailed as the perfect pop-punk album of the last decade.
The Dream Is Over celebrates its tenth anniversary this 12 months, and although its affect is simple, I won’t maintain it in such excessive regard if it weren’t for the tenacity of PUP’s 4 core members, who’ve a historical past of overcoming setbacks. Regardless of the romanticized model of their origin story in certainly one of their early movies, guitarist Steve Sladkowski, drummer Zack Mykula, and bassist Nestor Chumak have been buddies since childhood. Babcock, in the meantime, was related to their circles because the lead guitarist for Cease Drop N Skank.
Babcock joined the group in 2010 whereas finding out at what’s now Toronto Metropolitan College after collaborating with Chumak on a category undertaking. Over three years, they garnered sufficient consideration to signal with native indie label Royal Mountain Information, even altering their title from Topanga after Disney introduced Woman Meets World—an unlucky setback for followers of the band title.
Mockingly, the title PUP was urged by Babcock’s grandmother, who considered their rock ambitions as a “pathetic use of potential.” A lot to her dismay, the band shortly captivated critics. Whereas one might argue concerning the accuracy of the pop-punk label, PUP emerged because the style’s standout act since the Marvel Years. Their self-titled debut featured catchy choruses that clearly set them other than the uncooked hardcore tendencies of the time. Due to the energy of their debut, Stereogum listed them among the many greatest new bands of 2013. By 2014, they scored a US distribution take care of SideOneDummy and obtained their first however unsuccessful nomination for the Polaris Music Prize.
Even amid their rising success, PUP stayed grounded. Babcock was initially employed at Arts & Crafts, however as alternatives grew with the Menzingers, the Hives, and festivals like Riot Fest and Van’s Warped Tour, the whole group determined to give up their jobs. By the point they had been on tour with Fashionable Baseball, they’d performed round 450 exhibits.
PUP’s relentless willpower explains why The Dream Is Over endures. Wanting to hit the highway once more, they recorded the album of their hometown of Toronto throughout three studios with returning producer Dave Schiffman. This familiarity underneath strain resulted in an explosive file from a band that had all the pieces to show.
The opening observe kicks off with contemplative strumming as Babcock delivers the lyrics with an infectious grin, whereas his bandmates are visibly amused. But, the second the primary of many fervent screams erupts, it’s obvious that PUP is severe about pouring their feelings into the sharp 30-minute undertaking.
The primary 4 songs on The Dream Is Over do not simply rival PUP’s earlier work—they surpass the opening tracks of Smash, Enema of the State, All Killer No Filler, and even Dookie. “DVP” bursts forth in chaotic but exhilarating vitality, whereas “Doubts” confidently instructions the pit with sticky-sweet melodies. At a dwell present, Sladkowski’s prowess as a guitarist edges out his contemporaries. Throughout “Sleep within the Warmth,” he shreds with fervor that would ignite a hearth. Even when “The Coast” enters gently, like a car tumbling off a cliff, the album maintains relentless momentum. PUP storms by way of “Previous Wounds,” seemingly unconcerned with mending relationships.
“You need to know if I’m nonetheless a prick? Completely, and I’m not altering for anybody.”
All through The Dream Is Over, PUP maintains a relentless tempo that evokes a way of urgency. “What if I got here dwelling proper now? What would I uncover?” The title, together with the blunt lyrics of “My Life Is Over and I Couldn’t Be Happier,” point out they’re conscious of the chaos that lies forward: “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, Then I Will” expresses how usually their life-style results in sleepless nights,even when they take it half-jokingly. They acknowledge that realizing their goals comes with appreciable sacrifice.
“We’ve sacrificed careers and broken vital relationships for this band,” Babcock revealed in 2017 after a efficiency at Brooklyn’s now-defunct Northside Competition. “We plan to maintain going till we will’t stand one another anymore, and I don’t need anybody else to cease the band.”
Every track on The Dream Is Over navigates the value of success—be it emotional, bodily, or relational. PUP perseveres by way of ache, however by the album’s finale, the toll is clear. “Pine Level” stands out as a poignant contemplation relatively than a fast-paced end. Named after an actual ghost city, it casts shadows of doubt, with the lyrics performing as a somber cry for readability: “I hope you recognize what you’re doing, in any case.”
Upon first listening to The Dream Is Over in late 2016, I used to be grappling with disappointments whereas chasing my very own ambitions. After leaving uninspiring jobs, I had been accepted into an MFA program, but I broke up with my girlfriend on a misguided impulse simply earlier than we had been set to maneuver. I had succumbed to the flawed notion that success required solitude.
That 12 months, the pop-punk resurgence turned a soundtrack for my self-discovery. Regardless of my shift in direction of indie rock, PUP helped reignite my connection to the style. The upbeat hooks made it simpler for me to deal with emotions of isolation and apprehension about unsure futures.
What struck me about The Dream Is Over was its fusion of punk spirit with uncooked honesty. Moderately than falling into predictable tropes, Babcock declares, “I don’t give a shit. I simply need to survive.” This sentiment resonated deeply with me throughout that tumultuous 12 months.
With the album’s success, PUP secured a future past typical jobs. In a 12 months marked by vital creative releases from Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, and the bittersweet farewell of icons like David Bowie, PUP’s album garnered acclaim, making appearances on charts in Canada and the US whereas elevating them to headliners in Europe.
Whereas their subsequent album, Morbid Stuff, even climbed up the Billboard 200, PUP had already confirmed they weren’t only a fluke. I skilled them dwell for the primary time in 2022 at The NorVa, and their efficiency was a testomony to their progress. Although the follow-up, The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, typically felt a bit muted in comparison with their earlier work, final 12 months’s Who Will Look After the Canines returned to fundamentals, even when I felt some dissatisfaction with its manufacturing high quality.
Babcock talked about in an interview that he now not pertains to the feelings expressed in earlier songs like “DVP,” stating, “I’m not the sufferer anymore; I understand my very own function in my struggles.” Equally, my life has additionally improved. I’m fortunately in a relationship that has weathered varied challenges, and the act of writing feels much less like a monumental activity.
Reflecting on The Dream Is Over, “Can’t Win” resonates now greater than earlier than. Initially, I discovered it grating, however its anthem-like refrain encapsulates my progress since its launch. What as soon as felt suffocating now serves as a reminder of resilience. As I pay attention once more, I acknowledge that PUP had a transparent imaginative and prescient: their dream was removed from over.
Will Yarbrough resides within the Philadelphia suburbs. His work has appeared in publications comparable to New Noise, Outburn, The Line of Finest Match, Publish-Trash, and Atwood Journal. For inquiries, join with him at wyarbrough23@gmail.com or discover him on X at @willyarbrough15.
