Chicago – If you haven’t heard of Toronto punk band PUP, it’s time you have. The four-piece has been receiving praise from critics for their wild live shows and their recently released self-titled debut album on SideOneDummy Records. The chemistry between these childhood friends is amazing, and their genuine love for what they do shines through on stage and off. Lead singer and guitarist Stefan Babcock, drummer Zack Mykula, bassist Nestor Chumak, and lead guitarist Steve Sladkowski make up PUP, which is an acronym for “Pathetic Use of Potential.”
Don’t let the name fool you; there is nothing pathetic about PUP’s ambition or success. As Best New Bands found out at Riot Fest, these guys went for broke, quitting their day jobs to make music their number one priority. Needless to say, they’ve been having the time of their lives. After an energetic set and a bottle malört, Stefan Babcock and Steve Sladkowski chatted about feeling angsty, what they’ve been reading on tour, and Babcock taking Mabu, his trusty old Toyota Camry, camping in the Canadian wilderness.
Sarah Hess: Let’s talk about the single “Guilt Trip” off PUP. Who gave you such a guilt trip that you had to write a song about it?
Stefan Babcock: I’m not going to name names, but it’s a horrible girl that I…ugh…it’s the first time that anyone ever treated me like not a human being, so I had to write a song about it. But it’s the best thing ever because it’s very cathartic.
SH: Do you still talk to her? Did you tell her the song is about her?
SB: I don’t know what’s she doing now, but she’s definitely not telling thousands of people that she hates me. And I get to say that every night, so it’s cool! (laughs)
SH: What is “Reservoir” about? Did you guys use to hang out at a reservoir?
SB: I actually wrote that song after I hung out at a reservoir, but that’s not really what it’s about. It’s more about just being an angsty 20-something. You know, a lot of people get a lot of angst when they finish high school, but that didn’t really happen to me because I started university right away. And it didn’t happen after university because I got a job right away. It happened when I was working this job, and I felt like my life wasn’t progressing forward. I was really angsty, and I felt like this isn’t something I want to do for the rest of my life. And I think this was a feeling that the four of us shared. We were doing things that were okay, but it wasn’t what we thought we should be doing. That kind of just put a lot of pressure on me. I felt shitty about life and shitty about the people I was hanging out with. I wrote that song out of apathy and anger about doing the same thing every day and feeling like I wasn’t progressing. And the funny thing about that is that it seems to be the song that has helped us the most, and it kind of made me less apathetic now. It helped me do what I want with my life.
Steve Sladkowski: He just dealt with it.
SB: That’s some grown-up shit. (laughs)
SH: Where were you working? What were your day jobs?
SS: I was teaching little kids Taylor Swift songs on guitar and working for a catering company.
SB: Zack was working a government job. Nestor was working at a really great advertising studio, and I was working at a record label. It was all like good stuff and pretty decent jobs, but it just didn’t feel right. When you’re twenty-four and doing something like that, it feels like this is something I’d do when I’m forty, but I’m twenty-four so I should be doing something that I really love. You know something that I can’t do later on, and that’s essentially playing in a band.
SH: I get it. I recently quit my main job to focus on photography. I’m super poor right now though. (laughs)
SB: Yeah! What up! That rules. Actually, I think being poor is one of the greatest things you can do at a young age. It makes you, for one, value other things aside from money even more, and two, it makes everything way more exciting. I don’t know if you’ve ever spent much time traveling, but if you travel with money, which I have done, [it’s] no fun. If you travel without money, it’s an adventure! It’s like, “Oh, where am I going to sleep tonight?” I’m going to figure it, and it’ll be awesome! You get so many cool stories out of doing that, versus having a job and taking a two-week vacation. Then you’re just like, “Where am I going to sleep tonight? Which hotel?” That’s not fun! (laughs)
SH: Hearing “Yukon” live was amazing! What inspired this song?
SB: My sister and I have this tradition to go on weirdo camping trips every year, and that was one of the trips we went on. We decided we were going to drive my car. Her name is Mabu. We wanted to drive my car as far north in Canada as the roads go. Which is pretty far north, but also like only a third of the country north. So we just took these roads till the roads turned into gravel, then dirt, and into nothing. So we ended up at this river, and we threw our canoe in the river. We just went out for three weeks. We were totally alone. It was crazy! We didn’t see any other human being. It was in the summer solstice, so that far north it was constant daylight. We lost track of days and did a lot of drugs, which puts you in a really weird mental state, to be canoeing every day and not see any other human being except for your sister.
SH: How old is your sister?
SB: She’s four years older than me, but you wouldn’t know it. We are exactly the same, except she’s a lot smarter than I am. (laughs) So yeah, we did this crazy trip, but it was also a mental trip for not seeing people for that long and it never being night time. Also, for like not knowing if something bad might happen. In that part of the world, it’s over. Like if I broke a leg or broke an arm, it’s over.
SH: Like Into the Wild!
SB: Yeah like that, but maybe not that crazy, but still pretty crazy… that was the craziest trip I’ve ever been on.
SH: You’re about to go on a month-long trip for the Everything Gets Worse tour. What are your top three essentials for the tour?
SS: Water.
SB: Water? That’s boring.
SS: Alcohol, umm…
SH: Well, that’s a given! What’s something that you always try to bring no matter what?
SB: I bring at least two good t-shirts.
SS: A good book.
SB: Yeah, we all read a lot.
SH: What are you reading right now?
SB: Right now I’m reading a Bukowski book that I’m unhappy with. So I’m going to finish that. I did just read a really awesome John Irving book that I’ve meant to read my whole life. It’s called A Prayer For Owen Meany. It’s probably the best book, well, it’s up there with the best books I’ve ever read. And then after that I’m going to read a book called Dune, which is apparently a sci-fi classic, and I hate sci-fi. I’m not a sci-fi person, but I think it’s time in my life to expand my horizons.
SS: I’m reading a book by Salman Rushdie called The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which is pretty cool. It’s about a female-male pop song-writing duo, who just have these crazy adventures.
You can keep up with PUP’s crazy adventures by following them on instagram and twitter. PUP is now on tour.
Click HERE for tour dates. You can purchase PUP on iTunes.
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Latest posts by Sarah Hess (see all)
- The Wild Feathers Check One Off The Bucket List - July 31, 2017
- RY X Captivates Chicago - October 24, 2016
- Four New Bands at Day Three of Riot Fest - September 20, 2016
Pingback: PUP Slays The Burbs - Best New Bands