PUP on their latest LP, ‘Who Will Look After the Dogs?’

If there’s one word you could use to describe pretty much any punk show that’s ever happened — or ever will happen — that word might be “loud.” It certainly describes the shows put on by Toronto punk rock band PUP.

The audience at a PUP show feels like they’re there for a kind of group catharsis, shouting frontman Stefan Babcock’s vulnerable lyrics back at him in a way that turns pain into joy.

But to write the band’s new album, Who Will Look After the Dogs?, after a rough breakup and years of touring, Babcock went looking for quiet. He explains how that time influenced the album and talks about the record along with the rest of the band — guitarist Steve Sladkowski, bassist Nestor Chumak and drummer Zack Mykula.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.