Lol it definitely sounds like it has the least effort put in of all their records, so I guess I can see that

Album Rating: 4.0

as a compilation of great tracks it's great, but as an album experience it kinda lacks... still, i love all their records.

Album Rating: 4.0

wtf? s/t has the strongest and most varied songwriting of all their records. better vocal and instrumental performances all around too. that makes no sense

weird, it's almost as if an individual's appraisal of art wasn't objective or something.

Album Rating: 4.0

it's just weird for an artist to say his debut album is "pretty terrible" when it launched his career and has received vast critical acclaim lol

S/t is fab in its way and I don't mean this particularly critically, but the songwriting is much more slapdash punk than either of the following two, which are more focused. By virtue of this it's the most varied, but I get this in a much more "what sticks, sticks" way than either of the following pair. They throw ideas around much more freely in Guilt Trip and Factories and stick much more tenaciously to simple motifs in Yukon, Reservoir, and the whole Dark Days through Back Against run. Not a bad thing, but a sign of young and inexperienced songwriters for sure and this is probably what Stefan hates about it. You can tell they focused far more on developing their hooks and dynamics on Dream - key lines are used more sparingly and song structures are largely more versatile and (compared to the s/t's long tracks other than Yukon) coherent. This album is another expansion in the same vein, with a tweaked sound.

Album Rating: 4.0

S/T definitely leans more punk, whereas now they're essentially indie rock. Which is one reason I prefer s/t. But I also love the wide range of ideas on s/t that has largely disappeared by now. You had loud aggressive songs like Reservoir, then a fun upbeat song like Mabu with sweet guitar leads, then a longer mellow western-feeling Yukon, etc. It was versatile. As much as I love Morbid Stuff, almost every song is the same thing. 3 mins long, simple structure, not overly passionate or creative. There are a few tracks here that could easily be b-sides, which is not something you want on sucvh a short album to begin with. It takes fewer risks and feels more suited for Sirius XM radio play. The one exception, obviously, is Full Blown Meltdown

Agreed on this being less passionate and creative than the s/t, although I think calling it indie rock is definitely a decision, but the point is that the polish and maturity it took to fleshout these tracks songs is cut from a different cloth to the wildfire writing on the s/t? Don't think either is necessarily better (though I dig this slightly more) but trying to get inside that quote's headspace here

Album Rating: 5.0

this album is more mature. that's why i like s/t

Album Rating: 4.0

There are not vast stylistic differences between the albums. Any one of them is a perfectly appropriate favorite. Besides TDIO.

Album Rating: 5.0

tDiO is an acceptable favorite. it's PUP playing punk at their straightest

TDIO is their best album so yes it is arguably an acceptable favourite in that sense sometimes I suppose

Album Rating: 4.0

Tbh I prefer this. Doesn't quite hit as hard but it's a better album as a whole

Album Rating: 4.0

Round and round we go...

Album Rating: 4.0

Lol oops, I didn't realise I literally posted the same thing at the top of this page

Album Rating: 4.0

Don't feel bad, wasn't directing anything at you. It's been an endless rehash of the same opinions and rankings for a long time, including my stance that the albums are all pretty much equal. I'm part of the problem here since I baited everyone a few comments back.

Album Rating: 5.0

lmao. Personally, while their most flawed, s/t is the fave. But I'm willing to admit that the songwriting isn't quite at its peak, and finally let this conversation die in an anti-climactic silence until the next PUP record.

Lol I like Pup discussion because everyone involves generally agrees that all three of their albums are great. Long may that continue

Album Rating: 5.0

what's fun is each of their albums scratches an itch. S/T has that party-punk vibe but Reservoir hints at tDiO's aggression, and songs like Never Try, Yukon, and Factories hint at their emotional and musical idiosyncrasies. tDiO is by far their most aggressive work, pure bile in musical form, and yet it's not unlistenable. the 7/4 guitar leads and songs about crushed cars are over, but what comes of it is simultaneously rawer and more polished. Morbid Stuff is probably their slickest album yet, and the most melancholy. bearing more midwest emo influence and some seriously sad outros (or intros), it's really got that same pulsating hear that PUP's alway's had but it's sad now. also, Full Blown Meltdown is sooooo fucking good on a lyrical and instrumental level.



sorry these guys are my favorite band ever so i had to gush

I agree with all of this aside from Meltdown (which I don't love but appreciate existing - Old Wounds brings the hxc harder) and the 7/4 guitar leads - pretty sure the intro of Familiar Patterns (from where the lead enters) is 7/4 + 8/4, and Sibling Rivalry's verses are 4/4 x2 followed by 3/4 x2 (or some more natural rendering of this), and there's other time sig fuckery out there!!