PUP are coming up on 15 years as a band, having formed in Toronto in 2010. The punk rockers released their most recent album, The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, in April 2022, and are gearing up to provide support on the final leg of fellow Canadian act Sum 41’s farewell tour (get tickets here).
Heavy Consequence caught up with PUP guitarist Steve Sladkowski at the recent Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, where he spoke with us about plans for new music, his thoughts on supporting Sum 41 on their final tour dates, and the success of Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard, who starred in a couple of PUP’s music videos.
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As far as a new album is concerned, Sladkowski told us that the band has been “cooking up” ideas, and hopes to have new music out in 2025. But PUP’s immediate future involves supporting Sum 41 throughout Canada in January 2025 leading up to the headliner’s final show ever on January 30th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
“It’s a bummer,” said Sladkowski of Sum 41’s decision to break up following the tour. “I think it’s extra meaningful for us [to support them on their final tour leg]. They’re from the suburbs of Toronto. … There’s always something about having a band from where your from … Sum 41 happened to be that band. They played music that I liked, and they did it on such a level that when I was like 14 or 15, it was so important.”
Meanwhile, in a way, PUP helped discover Finn Wolfhard before he landed his starring role as Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things. The band cast him in its early video for “Guilt Trip” and then again in the clip for “Sleep in the Heat.”
When we asked Sladkowski how much credit the band takes for Wolfhard’s success, he jokingly responded, “All of it,” adding, “Finn, if you’re watching, don’t forget!”
In all seriousness, the guitarist added, “Finn walked into an open casting call in Vancouver for one of our earliest music videos, and got the part, and from there applied and got Stranger Things, and it could not happen to a better person.” Sladkowski went on to say that the band has kept in touch with Wolfhard and remains friends with him.
Watch our full interview with PUP guitarist Steve Sladkowski above, and catch the band on tour with Sum 41 in January.
Having trouble viewing the interview in the player above? Watch on YouTube.