PUP

This Place Sucks Ass EP

Written by: PP on 24/12/2020 17:16:59

Hit with the Covid-19 crisis cutting directly into their "Morbid Stuff" tour plans, PUP thought it best to keep the centrifuge rolling down the stairs with the band playing inside by releasing five more songs off those recording sessions as well as a brand new one, "Rot". Yes, "This Place Sucks Ass" EP is effectively a b-sides recording to "Morbid Stuff", which is also why it feels less produced, less polished, and a little bit more like a demo than it's parent album. That doesn't mean it's any less chaotic and rowdy than usual PUP stuff, however.

"Rot" opens the EP with their usual blistering style: hardcore blends with punk, the emotional charge is high, and it feels like the drumset and guitars are in a tumble drier crashing down a flight of stairs, just as we like PUP songs to sound like. The catchy melodies of"Anaphylaxis" reel you in, whereas the melancholy of "Floodgates" takes you back to the classic PUP music videos of yesteryear.

That said, it's evident this is a b-sides album and why the tracks were left out the master. Though unmistakably PUP and charismatically chaotic, "A.M. 180" (Grandaddy cover) and "Nothing Changes" are nonetheless a step down from the usual PUP quality. The final track "Edmonton" is laced in aggression and fiery expression, but the instrumentation and vocals are less in sync than usual, highlighting the razor-thin wire that separates a great and a meh PUP song. There is some apparent sense to the chaos, after all.

So where does that leave "This Place Sucks Ass" EP overall? Well, it's a collectible for the fans. The musicianship is good, and if you want to hear an even lower-fi and less polished version of PUP, then this is it. I wouldn't recommend it as a starting place for an aspiring PUP fan, however.

Download: Rot, Anaphylaxis, Floodgates
For the fans of: The Dirty Nil, Jeff Rosenstock, Joyce Manor, Bomb The Music Industry!
Listen: Facebook

Release date 23.10.2020
Little Dipper / Rise Records

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