Featuring Stefan Babcock on vocals and guitar, Steve Sladkowski on guitar and vocals, Nestor Chumak on bass and vocals, and Zack Mykula on drums and vocals, all longtime friends who met in elementary school, PUP formed in 2010 under the name Topanga. The original name was a reference to Topanga Lawrence, a character played by Danielle Fishel on the '90s sitcom Boy Meets World, but when the members learned Fishel would be reviving the character in 2014 in a spin-off titled Girl Meets World, they chose to change the name to PUP, standing for "Pathetic Use of Potential." Topanga released a digital EP titled Oceans, and positive press and attention from other bands helped create a buzz about the group. In 2013, they became PUP, releasing their self-titled debut album through the Royal Mountain label. The album was a hit with both critics and fans, with the group being named Best Live Show and Best New Artist by CBC Radio 3. The band toured extensively, playing throughout Canada and making their way to England and the United States. By the end of 2013, PUP had signed a record deal with the well-established punk label Side One Dummy, and spent much of 2014 and 2015 touring in support of Side One Dummy's reissue of their debut LP, launching their first headlining tours of the United States and Canada, as well as making their Australian debut.
In February 2016, PUP teased a new single called "DVP" in advance of their second full-length album, The Dream Is Over. Released in May of that year, the album's title is a reference to a prognosis Babcock received from his doctor: he'd severely damaged his vocal cords after enduring years of non-stop touring. In true punk fashion, PUP used the doctor's glib comment as the rallying cry for another set of hard-hitting, self-deprecating punk tunes. The band promoted the effort with an international tour over the next year before returning to the studio to write and record a follow-up. They spent most of 2018 working on the album, which saw release in April 2019. Titled Morbid Stuff, the record was produced with Dave Schiffman (the Mars Volta, Weezer) and lyrically focused on Babcock's struggles with depression. A year later, PUP offered up their commentary on the state of the world with This Place Sucks Ass, a six-song EP whose title referenced one of their long-standing touring inside jokes. With COVID-19 putting a halt to live performances, the group returned to the studio in 2021 to record their fourth album. Produced by Peter Katis (the National, Frightened Rabbit), 2022's wild The Unraveling of Puptheband saw the group augmenting their normally guitar-based sound with synthesizers, piano, and horns.
Biography by Mark Deming
There is another artist using the same name:
2) PUP is a Chinese-Korean rapper.
Morbid Stuff
PUP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sitting around and thinking all this morbid stuff
Like if anyone I've slept with is dead and I got stuck
On death and dying and obsessive thoughts that won't let up
It makes me feel like I'm about to throw up
I was getting high in the van in St. Catharines
While you were rubbing elbows in the art scene
High-fiving every shithead on Queen Street
Passed out on the bus ride
I got home in the morning at a quarter to ten
Everybody was sleeping in
Mom and dad were smoking weed in the attic again
I said
I don't know what you want me to say
Stood by watching as your world went up in flames
When you've tried everything, but the feeling stays the same
You had it all, you pissed it away
I don't know what you want me to say
'Cause back in the city I was on a tear
You had it all, you pissed it away
Back in the city without a care
I still dream about you time and time again
Well I've been sleeping in somebody elses bed
And as my body aged, the feeling never did
In the song "Morbid Stuff," PUP tackles the complex themes of existentialism and mortality. The track opens with the lead vocalist admitting to being "bored as f\*\*k" and consumed by dark thoughts about death and dying. The intensity continues as the lyrics describe a wild night of getting high in St. Catharines, while the singer's parents smoke weed in the attic. The vocalist sings about feeling helpless and unable to shake off the feeling of impending doom. The lyrics are a reflection of the human psyche and how intense, obsessive thoughts can weigh a person down.
Throughout the song, PUP touches on the idea of wasted opportunities and missed chances. The vocalist acknowledges that they had everything, but they wasted it away by indulging in reckless behavior. The song's bridge is particularly poignant, with the singer expressing their inability to forget about a past lover, even though they have been sleeping with someone else. The track's dark, introspective themes are conveyed through the band's stripped-down instrumentation and raw vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
I was bored as fuck
I felt incredibly uninterested and restless
Sitting around and thinking all this morbid stuff
I was contemplating dark, unsettling thoughts while doing nothing
Like if anyone I've slept with is dead and I got stuck
I wondered if any of my past partners had died, and it consumed my thoughts
On death and dying and obsessive thoughts that won't let up
These thoughts revolved around death, dying, and anxiety that wouldn't relent
It makes me feel like I'm about to throw up
The intensity of my thoughts caused me to feel physically ill
I was getting high in the van in St. Catharines
I was smoking drugs while travelling in a van through St. Catharines
While you were rubbing elbows in the art scene
You were socializing with artists and creative individuals
And back in the city I was on a tear
In the city, I was living recklessly and destructively
High-fiving every shithead on Queen Street
I was enthusiastically congratulating and embracing every rude or obnoxious person on Queen Street
Passed out on the bus ride
I lost consciousness while riding on a bus
I got home in the morning at a quarter to ten
I arrived home in the morning at 9:45 am
Everybody was sleeping in
Everyone in my house was still asleep
Mom and dad were smoking weed in the attic again
My parents were smoking marijuana in the attic as they often did
I said
I uttered something
I don't know what you want me to say
I'm unsure of what response you're expecting
Stood by watching as your world went up in flames
I witnessed your life fall apart and didn't intervene
When you've tried everything, but the feeling stays the same
You've attempted various solutions but still experience the same negative emotion
You had it all, you pissed it away
You possessed everything you needed for success but threw it all away
I still dream about you time and time again
I frequently have dreams about you
Well I've been sleeping in somebody elses bed
I've been sleeping in a bed that isn't mine
And as my body aged, the feeling never did
Despite getting older, the emotion I feel has remained constant
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stefan Babcock, Zack Mykula, Steve Sladkowski, Nestor Chumak
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ghislaine Maxwell Official
Very impressive. Sounds like a melodic yet dirty style of punk rock
Aleph Null
@Medusa Styggia a lot of morbid stuff in this album for sure
Medusa Styggia
It's pop punk, it's just a little more morbid than average pop punk bands.
Exercise&Relax
They remind me of one of my favorites I grew up with, Piebald. Not exactly the same sound but a similar spirit.
Manon
you’ve been my favorite band for about three years now. anytime i was having a shit day i’d get home and just blast your albums on repeat and scream my lungs out right along with you. i learned to play bass so i could play along too. thanks for getting me through high school.
dakielster
Wow, that's beautiful you channelled that energy into something positive. Are you in a band yourself now? Maybe if you make your own music you can do the same thing for other people :)
TGBplays
You’d hear awesome music though.
Todd Hall
I don't think this band can do any wrong.
Aleph Null
it helps that they dont just pump out music every year. the 3 year wait between major releases really brings on the polish
TempestBob
@Ádám Tóth don't even fucking joke about that man, i couldn't take it.