PUP RETURNS: THANK F***ING GOD

Toronto punk band PUP's fourth studio record 'THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND' was recorded and mixed over the course of five weeks in the summer of 2021, in GRAMMY Award-winning producer Peter Katis’ bat-filled mansion in Connecticut. Full of typically furious, ridiculous and anthemic songs, the recording process allowed PUP to push themselves further than ever before. With more time in the studio, they were able to craft their songs sonically in a way they were unable to in the past, and allowed themselves to incorporate new instruments like piano, synths, horns, and more for the first time. Though made in madness-inducing isolation (aside from Peter and the bats, of course), PUP were remotely joined on the album by Sarah from Illuminati Hotties, Kathryn from NOBRO, Mel from Casper Skulls, and Erik from Remo Drive. The result is not just the next PUP record, but the *most* PUP record.

There’s no other band like Angel Du$t. In fact, the singular group is almost defined by how far they stand apart from the pack. So if saying Angel Du$t aren’t like anyone else is a no-brainer, then what are they like? Are they cutting edge genre-destroyers or one of the last authentic guitar bands standing? Are they blunt force aggression incarnate or earnest experimentalists? Are they the hardcore version of an indie band or is it the other way around? You might ask yourself these kinds of questions while taking in the totality of Angel Dust’s decade-plus journey–but the band’s new album, Cold 2 The Touch, suggests that maybe it’s not so complicated after all. Or as vocalist/mastermind Justice Tripp puts it: ”Angel Du$t is rock & roll.” 

Cold 2 The Touch captures this simple fact better than ever before. The 26-minute blast of eclectic and hardhitting music makes it clear that Angel Du$t can’t be contained within the confines of narrow subgenres, and that a term as elemental as rock & roll might actually fit like a glove. “The flow of energy is a big part of what we do. Angel Du$t needs to incite movement–I’m not down with people chilling while we play, that’s offensive to me–so having a genuine hardcore influence without making hardcore is important to the band.,” Tripp elaborates. “Melody is another huge ingredient, so is the authentic influence of bluesy, chromatic rock & roll constructs. So punk, hardcore, rock & roll–they’re all just different flows of energy that we’re trying to use.” 

Angel Du$t formed in 2013 as a respite from Tripp’s time with heavy hardcore heroes Trapped Under Ice, and while the band’s comparatively tuneful sound was initially divisive, it soon proved to not only have staying power, but also massive influence. Twelve years later the hardcore-to-melody pipeline is well established thanks in no small part to Tripp and Angel Du$t, but the musician’s restless creativity keeps him far from resting on laurels. “The start of the band was very off the cuff,” he explains. “TUI was purposely very serious, so Angel Du$t was supposed to be more free-spirited, and I think that we really try to keep that spontaneity even this many years into it. The band was created with a real set of guidelines but has expanded way outside of them because finding that free-spirited energy has always been the goal, and the sound has to change to keep finding that.” 

Luckily Angel Du$t have also often been home of some of the most talented musicians coming up in punk and hardcore, and fresh personnel has played a huge role in keeping the band alive and Tripp inspired–especially now with Cold 2 The Touch. Tripp, guitarist Steve Marino, and bassist Zechariah Ghostribe, were joined by new drummer Nick Lewis and guitarist Jim Caroll. The two musicians each brought unique and somewhat opposite perspectives to the making of Cold 2 The Touch: Lewis had never recorded in a proper studio before, while Caroll is a veteran of legendary bands like Suicide File, Hope Conspiracy, American Nightmare, and more. The team was rounded out by producer/engineer Brian McTernan who recorded much of the early Angel Du$t material in addition to countless other legendary releases (Turnstile, Balance & Composure, Bane, Converge). “The band has always been about me funneling other elements coming in from other people–I make a lot of music based on where I feel like the collective consciousness is going. I think this is the most collaborative Angel Du$t record.” 

The result is the band’s most overtly ferocious album in some time–a blender of hard riffs and big hooks that are matched by Tripp’s open-hearted existentialism. “A lot of the lyrics are in the context of ‘when is the end coming and what are we doing with our lives in the meantime?’” he explains. “I want to experience life while I can, I want to commit to what I am and my place in the world. For me that’s music but I think that’s important for anyone–to do the things you do unapologetically.” 

That mentality is palpable throughout Cold 2 The Touch, starting with its stomping opener, “Pain Is A Must.” The track highlights the balance of eye-bulging aggression and satisfying melody at which Angel Du$t excels, with guest vocals from Terror’s Scott Vogel hammering home Tripp’s bluntly stirring lyrics. “It’s a song about sacrificing for things you love to do. Getting Scott on the song was special cuz he’s the one that taught me that. There’s nothing in life that I want that doesn't come with some misery and I accept that.” The album hurls forward with the galloping hardcore of its title track, followed by early standout “I’m The Outside, which” further underlines Tripp’s worldview overtop of a headbang-ready instrumental that sounds like Stone Temple Pilots collaborating with Bad Brains. “Everyone has an ‘I’m on the outside’ song, but I wanted to make it ‘I am the outside,’” Tripp says. “I’m what you're aspiring to be when you think you’re an outsider. I don’t have any choice, this is my lifestyle, but as I get older I try to approach it with as much positivity as I can. I want to think more about what I can contribute, I want to be more about solutions–I can live on my terms, I can draw people towards positive mindsets in life.” It’s an endearing bit of maturity from one of modern hardcore’s more intense figures. “But this is also on the same record with a song about me beating the shit out of someone for all eternity because sometimes that’s the solution, too,” Tripp adds with a laugh. 

Elsewhere tracks like “Jesus Head” or “Du$t” show that the band haven’t neglected their experimental side, leaning into lush textures, reversing drums, or Tripp’s versatile voice–but even those songs stay true to the snarling heart of Cold 2 The Touch by throwing in a biting guitar solo, earthshaking breakdown, or unexpected blast beat. “I think at the end of the day, I’m an artist and everything I've done is something authentic to me–I really consciously didn’t write for other people or what people might expect, and just wrote completely for me,” says Tripp. “When we were in the studio for this one I could really feel that. It truly felt like there were no boundaries–it’s just the magic of great players, a great producer, and we can do anything we want.” That constellation of collaborators makes Cold 2 The Touch a captivating listen that’s constantly surprising the listener: Caroll makes his presence especially felt on “Zero,” a veritable Angel Du$t epic that clocks in at over three minutes of spiraling riffs and features vocals from Wes Eisold of American Nightmare and Cold Cave; “Downfall” has the growl of Restraining Order’s Patrick Cozens; “Man On Fire” taps UK punk legend Frank Carter; and “The Beat” includes guttural guest vitriol from Taylor Young of Twitching Tongues, Deadbody, and more. 

The album’s final one-two punch of “The Knife” and “The Beat” sum up exactly what makes Angel Du$t such a special band. This is a creative endeavor where heart-on-sleeve musings about the finite nature of life can coexist with the unbridled thrill of violence-enducing riffs, where real humanity can flourish and being true to yourself and your own spectrum of thoughts, interests, and feelings takes primacy above all else. “This is who I am,” says Tripp. “and I speak for the band too: these are people who are always going to be playing aggressive rock & roll. It’s happening whether you like it or not. I’m me, and if you get in my way I’m gonna crush you.”