PUP

‘We are PUP. We’re from Toronto. We play loud music’. That’s how Canadian punk band PUP introduced themselves to the world in 2010. By “loud music”, they mean bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Weezer. The Toronto quartet’s name is short for Pathetic Use of Potential – a phrase coined by bassist Nestor Chumak’s grandmother, who firmly believes that anyone making rock music is squandering their talents. Shortly after forming, PUP sent a demo to veteran producer Dave Schiffman (The Mars Volta, Rage Against the Machine). To their astonishment, he soon showed up at their door and helped the band get started. Their fifth release, Who Will Look After the Dogs? (2025), is PUP in pure form once again: raw, energetic, joyful and sarcastic. Nothing – and no one – is spared.