Pup have been relatively quiet since releasing 2022’s The Unraveling Of PupTheBand, but they’re back with a new song — and hopefully a new album. “Paranoid” isn’t a cover of the Black Sabbath classic (although there is a Sabbath reference in the video), but rather, it’s a punk rager that the band does so well.
“My favorite part of this song is the breakdown 1:45 in,” singer Stefan Babcock said of the track. “It’s the heaviest moment in the song, Zack and Steve are going so hard, I’m yelling about all this sad stuff that’s going on with me, and Nestor is just playing the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ on the bass. It cracks me up every time I hear it. So f*cking funny. It’s a very Pup moment.”
Music video director Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux added, “What started out as a way to keep the bruising and heartbreaking lyrics to ‘Paranoid’ front and center turned in to a little love letter for rock band merchandise and the unsung heroes who run the merch table. Special thanks to co-director Clem Hoeney and all the real Pup fans who came out and went so hard for a hundred takes!”
You can listen to “Paranoid” above. Also be sure to check out Pup’s Substack where they will “post unreleased songs, discuss writing process, play-through tracks, comics, old photos, live recordings, tour stories, and more.”