10 Essential Rock Albums Of The 2010s

10. PUP - Morbid Stuff

Since their self-titled debut album and sophomore effort, The Dream Is Over, PUP have always felt like they were just a few steps away from something great. They were by no means a bad band, they could churn out plenty of catchy, shouty punk tunes, but there was just something missing.

Then came Morbid Stuff and PUP finally stopped being a good band and started being a goddamn phenomenal one. Sure, a lot of the ingredients are still the same on Morbid Stuff: Stefan Babcock still screams till his throat threatens to give way again, the guitars are still fuzzy, and the drums are still thunderous. It's familiar territory, but it's almost as though they knew those ingredients worked, but they finally figured out the right amounts to make the recipe work.

A perfect example of this is on the track Scorpion Hill, which Babcock explained was influenced by a pretty horrible sounding night they spent at a fan's house. Scorpion Hill shows that Babcock isn't limited to snotty singing about break ups and drinking too much but is capable of composing tightly structured fictional narratives too.

Morbid Stuff also showcased the fact that PUP were capable of having fun with their music. Bloody Mary Kate and Ashley is simultaneously one of the funniest, stupidest and catchiest songs that came out last year. It's nice to know this album proves Babcock's grandmother wrong because Morbid Stuff is far from a pointless use of potential.