_edited.jpg)
It's been a hot minute since Toronto punk quartet PUP have released new music, with their previously most recent material taking the form of their fourth album in 2022, THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND.
But slicing through the second week of 2025 comes the group's brand new single, Paranoid; a rousing and rambunctious barrel of angst and sincerity that'll either rile you up to 11 or satiate the storm in your soul, depending on your current life vibe. Regardless, Paranoid is a welcome spicy addition to the PUP repertoire that also comes armed with a cleverly executed music/lyric video filmed live in a one-shot style.
“What started out as a way to keep the bruising and heartbreaking lyrics to ‘Paranoid’ front and center turned in to 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!” - Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux, Paranoid video director
PUP are clearly ramping up for a huge year, storming straight outta the 2025 gates with new music, a confirmed UK/EU headline tour in May, and a reincarnation of their zine series PUPZINE, with MORE BAD STUFF - A PUPTHEBAND Substack, with sign ups available here.
But until more PUP news arrives, come and relish in the latest track Paranoid, which also boasts an especially fun breakdown moment arriving close to the halfway mark, as the band's own Stefan Babcock elaborated on in the band's latest press material:
“My favourite part of this song is the breakdown 1:45 in. It's the heaviest moment in the song, Zack and Steve are going so hard, I'm yelling about all this sad stuff that's going on with me, and Nestor is just playing the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on the bass. It cracks me up every time I hear it. So fucking funny. It's a very PUP moment." - Stefan Babcock, PUP frontman
Paranoid is out now. For more PUP info, head here.
BY TIANA SPETER