Followed their whole UK tour except Bristol (first time I do that but I was getting my first paid holiday ever and that lineup was perfect) and honestly couldn't have made a better decision. Every night was a blast, and all of this tour are just plain fucking nice people. Tom even got us list for London apparently because he liked our stagediving in Dublin (or maybe for short person brotherhood). PUP definitely had the most packed sets all along. Sooner than later they'll be playing bigger rooms than Menzos - in fact they could have easily sold out a headline tour just a bit smaller than that one. People went mad for them, I included. It was also great seeing the different kinds of crowd each band and each city delivered. My favourites will always be Glasgow's loyal army of Menzingers-loving punk dads and their teenage children. Was anyone else here at some dates on that tour?
I was honestly surprised it wasnt a co-headliner. Same with the tour before with TWY. Someone clearly underestimates the popularity of PUP tbh
Our local promoter hinted at the two bands playing and nobody would believe me when I predicted it was a joint tour, because PUP would so obviously sell out a headline. But tbh for this tour I think there was also the fact they wanted to recreate that tour from a few years back since they're all good friends. But I hope Pup realised with this that the world is ready for them
Just listened to this album driving out and back to a friend's this evening. On the way back it was snowing quite a bit and the scenery was already a winter wonderland from all the snow we had this week. It proved to be a really moving setting for the album, even capped off with Living Ain't Easy ending as soon as I arrived back home. I've come to identify so heavily with the arc of this album in the past year. While I'm maybe not where I want to be, looking back I'm certainly in a better place than I was a year ago, and this album has in a way helped guide me through and identify with that. It's about striking the balance between *not* finding it wrong to say, as Tellin Lies asks, that things can change, to also accepting that only fools would think living is easy and being cognizant and content with that reality. Idk, late night ramblings, just thought i'd share.
Alright I'm finally in a mood. So I'm now releasing my analysis of why I Mexican Guitars is my favorite song of the decade. For how convoluted and subjective it might be, I had a great time writing it. Enjoy. On the Great Pessimistic Unknown: Why Mexican Guitars is my favorite song of the decade
I was at London, you can find my post a page back or so. Absolutely loved it and left broken. Shout out to this one security guy who spent half the gig helping us crowd surf haha
For some reason I heavily slept on this album and now it's speaking volumes to me. I can't stop listening to it. Saw them open for Rise Against back in 2012, but they never really clicked with me until recently. Excited to go back and explore their earlier stuff.
It's just so good when the sun's out. I'm getting to see them at the Knitting factory with all my friends when I' over in America and we're going to spin that record heavily in the car, just like we did on our road trip last year. It's a record for great memories
I still play OTIP a bit more than this one, but both are seeing increased spins around this time of the year OTIP is just one of those landmark albums I can always come back to, no matter what.
I think ATP is tied with OTIP in my personal ranking tbh. OTIP does have this enduring classic quality that makes it one of the best albums of its era and it's in great part due to its lowkey political message I think. They really hit the nail on the head emotionally and politically for a lot of people. But that doesn't mean ATP doesn't do incredibly well at evoking really visceral emotions and doing one of the best jobs at soundtracking the listener's life that I've seen. Whether you're not yet in your twenties, currently in your twenties, or looking back on your twenties it really holds up as an object of emotional collection and damn damn damn it's so catchy