3 New Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now: Pup, Meshuggah, and Pillow Queens
PUP image credit via Vanessa Heins
This week we’re highlighting new music from Pup, Meshuggah, and Pillow Queens.
Pup – The Unraveling of PUPTheBand
Toronto punks, Pup, return with their first new album since 2019 and their fourth overall with The Unraveling of PUPTheBand. PUP (abbreviation for Pathetic Use of Potential) is a Canadian punk band formed in Toronto in 2010, originally under the name Topanga. They have been described primarily as a punk rock band that unites a high-energy and bottled-up aggression with accessible and catchy lyrics and chords. Produced by Peter Katis (Death Cab For Cutie, Frightened Rabbit, Gang of Youths, Interpol, and The National) the band was given more time and space on The Unraveling of PUPTheBand than on previous endeavors. The band recorded the album at the Connecticut mansion of the aforementioned, Peter Katis. “We started making choices because we thought they were good or funny or too dumb to not see through,” commented Stefan Babcock “We stopped giving a shit about radio or having three choruses or adhering to our old obsessions and rules about what makes a song ‘PUP.’”
Standout Songs: Totally Fine, Robot Writes A Love Song, Matilda, Relentless
7.8
Artist Links:
Meshuggah – Immutable
Thirty-five years and nine full-length albums into the game, there isn’t much that Swedish progressive act Meshuggah hasn’t seen or done. Immutable is their latest addition to their extensive collection. The album is a continuation of what we have come to expect from the tech-metal giants: scathing guitars and complex song structures with polyrhythms. Meshuggah is immutable. And Immutable is immutable. Everyone else around will do their best to catch up.
Standout Songs: Broken Cog, The Abysmal Eye, Ligature Marks, I Am That Thirst
7.7
Artist Links:
Pillow Queens – Leave The Light On
Irish indie rockers, Pillow Queens have released their sophomore album, Leave The Light On. The band’s first with Royal Mountain Records, Leave The Light On was recorded in the Spring of 2021 and written in the span of three months. With Leave The Light On, the songwriting has become more confident, and the women have refined their sound. The album signals the next evolution in the band’s more full sound. It’s clear that the Pillow Queens have found themselves and are on a path to becoming something larger than the status quo.
Standout Songs: Standout Songs: Be By Your Side, House That Sailed Away, My Body Moves
7.7
Artist Links: