Toronto punk band Pup is set to drop their fifth album, Who Will Look After The Dogs?, on May 2nd via Little Dipper / Rise Records. Alongside the announcement comes the debut of the lead single “Hallways” and its striking, surreal video.
Recorded in Los Angeles over three weeks with producer John Congleton, the record channels a pummeling, cathartic energy that reflects a decade of relentless touring and evolving chemistry among the four members.
As The New York Times noted, “The Toronto band Pup has long made frenetic punk-pop with neat verse-chorus-bridge structures underlying Stefan Babcock’s raucously overwrought and fully self-aware lead vocals.” With tighter musicianship and an intensity reminiscent of their self-titled debut – albeit refined by years of experience – the album brings forward raw vulnerability and unfiltered aggression.
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Frontman Stefan Babcock excavates personal history over 12 tracks, scrutinizing his relationships with bandmates, lovers, and himself. “So many early songs were about how I’m a complete fuck up,” he confesses, adding that while that streak remains, he’s learned to accept himself more. Babcock’s reflection on his solitary songwriting period—sparked by the end of a decade-long relationship and a distancing from the band—yielded over 30 songs in a year, a stark contrast to previous two- to three-year processes. “There’s a lot of sadness in the back half of the record, but there’s a lot more hope here too. I’m just coming to peace with who I am,” he explains.
The creative process, typically marred by tension, took on a different tone this time. “We realized it should be four people in a room playing,” says bassist Nestor Chumak, emphasizing the decision to let the songs develop organically. Guitarist Steve Sladkowski observes, “We straddle the line between it falling off the rails and then being totally in the pocket. But our four disparate personalities are what make it interesting.” In the studio, Congleton helped the band cut through their overthinking. Drummer Zack Mykula recalls, “If we can’t solve an arrangement or songwriting problem in the room between the four of us in a few minutes, then it’s not really worth solving because we’d just get into a hole and lose perspective. Thanks to John, getting out of our heads made it fun.” Babcock sums it up: “When I first started writing the lyrics for this record, everything felt really heavy. By the time we recorded it, even those dark songs felt light and fun. We didn’t even really fight while making this record. It all just felt fucking awesome.”
“Hallways,” the first song written for the album, is both bracing and buoyed by an underlying lightness. The track’s refrain—“Cause when one door closes, it might never open / There might be no other doors”—sets the tone. Reflecting on the tumult that inspired its creation, Babcock recalls, “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.” He adds that the album’s title came as an offhand note at the very start of the writing process: “I think it’s devastating, but in a ‘holy shit this is overdramatic’ kinda way… sometimes you gotta laugh at yourself. It’s the only way out of the abyss. Trust me.”
The record’s intensity has drawn comparisons from across the critical spectrum. The New Yorker stated that The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND “finds the quartet completely removing any of the limits left on their music, pushing things as far as possible,” while NPR Music observed that “hearts on their sleeves, the group captures the rage and frustration of human fallibility with crashing drums and infectious irreverence.” Pitchfork added that the new songs are “boisterous, catchy, and meta while also earnestly wading through the nuances of depression in a manner often reserved for ‘confessional’ indie rock…an instant mood-booster.”
Personal milestones have also reshaped the band. Guitarist Steve Sladkowski recently tied the knot, bassist Nestor Chumak has embraced fatherhood, and drummer Zack Mykula settled into a new Toronto home studio setup. Amid these changes, Babcock’s isolation after ending a long-term relationship led him to retreat and write nonstop—a period that ultimately redefined the band’s approach to making music together.
Pup will be hitting the road in May, with dates set for Amsterdam (Melkweg, May 18), Paris (Bellevilloise, May 25), Madrid (Sala Mon, May 27), Barcelona (Upload, May 28), València (Loco Club, May 29) and San Sebastian (Dabadaba, May 30), with support from Illuminati Hotties.
PUP live shows:
05/18/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg*
05/25/25 – Paris, FR @ Bellevilloise*
05/27/25 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Mon
05/28/25 – Barcelona, ES @ Upload
05/29/25 – València, ES @ Loco Club
5/30/25 – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
* support from Illuminati Hotties
