PUP (formerly known as Topanga - changed after a tantrum because <i>Girl Meets World</i> is maybe a thing) is kind of Toronto’s answer to The Cribs or The Vines (and a million other bands that blend dirty guitars, group yells and mayhem with clean production) and the four piece is really immediate and intense while still being lots of fun. There’s not a lot of diversity here, and that’s okay, as these songs feel like you’re at the live set, getting shoved by chaotic kids losing their shit to these ten tracks. “Guilt Trip” and “Back Against the Wall” keep things short and hard, while the five and a half minute “Yukon” gives the record some breathing space. Cousins or No Age could tour comfortably with these guys, but so could Gob (or whoever is getting played on rock radio with a punk edge in 2013), meaning the band walks a fine line between accessible and outsider. Not a bad place to be, but not the most original.

Published in Volume 68, Number 5 of The Uniter (October 2, 2013)