Toronto punks PUP return with John Congleton-produced track ‘Paranoid’

PUP have returned with their first new single in two years, sharing new track ‘Paranoid’.

The Toronto punk band’s latest offering follows their fourth album ‘THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND’, released in 2022, and was produced by John Congleton.

“My favourite part of this song is the breakdown 1:45 in,” Stefan Babcock explains. “Whenever we try and do a heavy breakdown with catchy vocals we end up sounding like the world’s worst melodic hardcore band. But somehow it worked on this song. I think because it’s so intense in that moment that it’s actually kind of funny and a bit hard to take seriously. There’s some humour in that and how it plays against what I’m yelling about in a way I really like. Plus Nestor plays the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on the bass at the heaviest moment in the song which really cracks me up every time I hear it.”

The track arrives alongside a new video directed by Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux, who shares: “What started out as a way to keep the bruising and heartbreaking lyrics to ‘Paranoid’ front and centre turned into a little love letter for rock band merchandise and the unsung heroes who run the merch table. Special thanks to co-director Clem Hoeney and all the real PUP fans who came out and went so hard for a hundred takes!”

The band are also launching ‘MORE BAD STUFF – A PUPTHEBAND Substack’, a digital continuation of their zine series that will feature unreleased songs, writing process discussions, play-through tracks, comics, photos, live recordings, and tour stories.

PUP have announced UK, European and Canadian tour dates, with Illuminati Hotties supporting in Europe and the UK (excluding Spain dates), and Goo joining the UK shows.

The dates in full read:

JANUARY
10 Save On Foods Memorial Centre, Victoria, Canada
11 Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
13 Prospera Place, Kelowna, Canada
16 Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Canada
17 Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada
18 Sasktel Centre, Saskatoon, Canada
20 Canada Life Place, Winnipeg, Canada
23 Meridian Centre, St. Catharines, Canada
24 Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Canada
25 Place Bell, Laval, Canada
27 Budweiser Gardens, London, Canada
28 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada
30 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada

MAY
7 XOYO Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
8 Project House, Leeds, UK
10 O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
11 SWG3 (TV Studio), Glasgow, UK
12 Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
13 Marble Factory, Bristol, UK
15 Engine Rooms, Southampton, UK
16 O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
18 Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
20 Club Volta, Cologne, Germany
21 Logo, Hamburg, Germany
22 Hole44, Berlin, Germany
23 Strom, Munich, Germany
25 Bellevilloise, Paris, France
27 Sala Mon, Madrid, Spain
28 Upload, Barcelona, Spain
29 Loco Club, València, Spain
30 Dabadaba, San Sebastian, Spain