PUP guitarist Steven Sladkowski talks their new album, Australian weather, and why perfectionism in music is a myth worth ditching.
It’s 8:00 p.m. in Toronto, and sunlight – golden, stubborn – still filters through Steve Sladkowski’s window. It’s the kind of soft evening glow that betrays your expectations of the Canadian climate. Instead of snowdrifts or grey skies, it’s all opaque blues and warmth.
“It’s very warm,” says the PUP guitarist with a smile to match. “But it could be worse, so I’ll take it.”
Warm, of course, is relative. For Australians, a heatwave means 40°C in the shade. But for a Canadian like Sladkowski, it means more 27°C. “I went around to help my mum yesterday,” he says, mock dramatic, “and I was like fully dying [because of the heat].”
Luckily for Sladkowski and the rest of PUP, they’ll be touching down in Australia this August—when the mercury is far more forgiving. Not that they haven’t experienced our summer sizzle before.
“I remember one year we toured in February. I think we were in Adelaide or Perth or something and it was 31 degrees. At the same time, Toronot was caught in a polar vortex. There was literally a sixty-degree difference between the two!”
That contrast led to the development of an unexpected musical theory. “I swear to God,” he says, leaning in, “once it hits 27, the rhythm shifts. Like, the whole performance slows down. Everything just gets… stuck in the mud.”
This August tour follows the release of Who Will Look After the Dogs?, PUP’s fifth studio album — and a career milestone not lost on Sladkowski.
“I think some people expect that after five records, the anticipation fades. I’m happy to say it hasn’t. It still feels truly wild that we get to do this.”
The band teamed up with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton on the new record. A man known for sculpting left-of-centre masterpieces with the likes of St. Vincent and Bill Callahan. With Congleton, PUP embraced a new rhythm, creatively speaking.
“His first response is always yes,” Sladkowski says. “The challenge became not second-guessing myself. We’d remind each other—don’t overwrite it, don’t overthink it. Nothing has to be perfect. By the time we hit the studio, we were fancy free.”
That sense of freedom gave way to a record that feels looser, rawer, closer to the bone. And in the process, lead singer Stefan Babcock tapped into something deeply personal.
“For Stefan, this album was intense. He went through some heavy stuff,” Sladkowski shares, his voice momentarily quieter. “I was sitting at the same desk when he started recording demos, and it was obvious — he was working through something. Something he wasn’t quite ready to talk about.”
Rather than probe, Sladkowski found his role shifting. “As a guitarist, you start becoming more of an accompanist. It’s not about showing off — it’s about: ‘is what I’m playing reflecting the emotion?’ In the past, I would’ve pushed more. But this time, it was a different set of parameters.”
There’s a clarity now in PUP’s approach that wasn’t always there. The fear of feedback – the old instinct to recoil from criticism – has softened with time.
“It used to scare the shit out of me, hearing what people thought,” Sladkowski says, tone slightly more matter of fact. “Before it’s released, it feels like yours. But once it’s out in the world, you don’t own it anymore.”
These days, they lean into that pointed vulnerability.
“I genuinely like hearing what people think now. Music is social. There’s a buzz to it. I want to see what connects, what doesn’t. If you’re Nick Cave, maybe you don’t read reviews. But I’m mortal. I do.”
With five albums under their belt and a reputation for cathartic, high-voltage live shows, PUP has learned to embrace their imperfections. And now even wear them proudly.
“No one’s ever made a perfect record,” Sladkowski says, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, Willie Nelson just put out his 77th. That’s what he’s here to do. That compulsion to create, to put it out there and see what the response is. That’s the whole point of making music. Otherwise, they’re just glorified bedroom tapes.”
PUP are performing in Auckland, Wellington, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Tickets can be purchased here.
