Right from the off, the punishingly kinetic No Hope is a roar of cathartic energy that both carries and contradicts the bleakness of its self-deprecating lyrics. Production courtesy of John Congleton makes it – and the 11 songs that follow – more immediate, more vivid, more visceral. Whether that’s the off-kilter musical and lyrical whimsy of Olive Garden, the devastating hook and chorus of Concrete, or the blistering punk rush of Get Dumber (which features former labelmate Jeff Rosenstock) and Paranoid (not a Black Sabbath cover), these songs feel like they’re being directly injected into your veins. You can’t not feel the devastation in them.
Unsurprisingly, the slower songs here – the hilariously despondent waltz of Hunger For Death, the discordant despair of Falling Outta Love, the abject helplessness of Hallways, the bittersweet catchiness of Best Revenge – also feel like they’re on the verge of collapse, trying desperately to not implode under the weight of their own sadness. That imminent sense of ruin is, however, felt most on the mournful final track, Shut Up. Drowning in raw regret and deep depression, it’s possibly the most melancholy, vulnerable and personal song PUP have ever recorded. But there are still glimpses of that dark humour to offset its dark heart.
This is an album that really hurts – but it’s also a defiant declaration that pain doesn’t last forever, even if it sometimes feels like it might.
Verdict: 4/5
For Fans Of: Single Mothers, The Dirty Nil, Joyce Manor
Who Will Look After The Dogs? is out now via Rise
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