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Preview Thu Feb 27 2014
PUP Makes a Ruckus at the Burlington; 2/27
PUP, a punk rock outfit out of Toronto, walks a menacing line between pummeling aggression and pop melodicism. It's garnered them great accolades for their live show, as well as for their just-released self-titled debut record. They recently completed a UK tour and are coming to Chicago this Thursday for the first stop of their headlining U.S. jaunt. The band has made a video for "Reservoir", the first single off their debut, and it's quickly become one of my favorite songs of the past several months. You can watch it below, though if you're easily squeamish I'd consider refraining.
Lead singer Stefan Babcock sings like a man holding on to the freight train of a five-star melody for dear life. The hairpin reversals make it seem like the band is shaking the song itself back and forth, while the verses, bridges, and choruses seem to always arrive earlier or later than you'd expect. All the while, the vocal struggles to keep up, but when that chorus hits, it's catchy and on the mark, arriving in shambles yet somehow majestic. The rest of the record unfolds in a similar vein, with vicious, swerving backdrops offset by sandpaper-roughened pop hooks.
PUP plays the Burlington Bar, 3524 W. Fullerton Ave., tonight, Thursday, Feb. 27, with openers Pinebocks and Uncle Ghost. Doors are at 9pm.
