Earlier this year, relentless rockers Pup returned with the announcement of their forthcoming album The Unraveling Of PupTheBand, the follow-up to 2019’s Morbid Stuff. They’ve released a new single today to heighten the hype for this new record, and it’s working. The track, “Matilda,” is an epic, exhilarating journey tinged with emotional, poignant chords and disillusioned lyrics. The music video is worth watching, featuring actor and comedian Mike Mitchell (you might recognize him from Judd Apatow-produced Netflix show Love) amongst other notable people.
The band wrote of the song and namesake axe:
“Matilda is the name of my favourite guitar. She was a gift from my friend Ryan, after watching me accidentally break the only guitar I owned in the middle of a long tour. I had no money to buy a replacement, and Ryan’s act of kindness is up there on my list of ‘nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.’ I played Matilda nonstop for 7 years at every PUP show, even when my bandmates started complaining that she sounded like sh*t. As the band got bigger, the pressure to sound better was building and so I bought a ‘good’ guitar and played Matilda less and less. Before I knew it I hadn’t played her in over a year. I wrote this song based on this intense feeling of guilt and sadness and shame and nostalgia and regret, watching her rot away in a corner. I love this guitar and I love Ryan and wanted to do right by them, and I felt like I’d failed them both. I convinced the band that Matilda deserved one last rip on a PUP record, and I played her during the bridge of this song. It sounds so sh*tty. But good sh*tty. Great sh*tty. For me, it was the most joyful and cathartic moment in the entire making of this record.”
Watch the video for “Matilda” above.
The Unraveling Of PupTheBand is out 4/1 via Little Dipper/Rise Records. Pre-order it here.