PUP's 'This Place Sucks Ass' EP Rocks Ass

BY Matt OwczarzPublished Oct 20, 2020

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Scrappy Toronto punks PUP return with their first batch of new material since snagging a Juno Award for their acclaimed third full-length effort, 2019's Morbid Stuff. PUP's new six-track EP, aptly titled This Place Sucks Ass, channels the energy of, y'know, everything that's wrong with the world right now, and the band works through it all with their trademark existential pop-punk and a deeply sarcastic sneer.

Across the board, This Place Sucks Ass is a cathartic expression of anger, pain, stress and frustration. Whether they're ridiculing the overreactions of hypochondria on "Anaphylaxis" or trying to break the endless cycle of self-sabotage on "Rot," they do so with unbound rage, a self-critical eye and a dash of humour. Highly neurotic and loud, it's everything you want from a PUP record in 2020.

Sonically, the EP is filled with much heavier punk noise but there's still hints of indie rock and pop melodies strewn throughout. "Nothing Changes," "Floodgates" and "Edmonton," all songs that were initially cut from Morbid Stuff, are frenetic and blistering, even compared to some of the band's past stuff. Hitting their marks with infectious, sing-along vocals and ultra-catchy guitar riffs. And PUP's take on Grandaddy's "A.M. 180" is the maraschino cherry on top of the sundae that ties the whole record into a non-stop riot for the ears.

Yes, this place in time right now does suck ass for just about everybody — but PUP's latest EP certainly doesn't suck any ass, like at all. Quite the opposite, really: It rocks ass. It's the musical equivalent of a thrilling roller coaster ride through a hellish landscape, injecting a much-needed dose of fun in otherwise dark days.
(Little Dipper/Universal), (Rise Records)

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