Toronto’s PUP have become one of punk’s most beloved outfits. For Polaris, shortlisting The Dream is Over was a no-brainer.

Aspiring Canadian musicians: don’t let anyone tell you your music is “too Canadian” to make it abroad. Exhibit A: PUP’s The Dream is Over, a hell of a punk record that is, on one hand wildly popular with the Pitchfork set, but on the other jam-packed with Canadiana. Now, in the Toronto quartet’s case, their US success is a result of an agonizing touring schedule, crackerjack musicianship, killer live show and (as a result) a die-hard fanbase.

In fact, the album’s second track (and one of its highlights) is “DVP”, a scorching lament over suburban, unrequited love. Subject matter aside, you can practically see/hear/smell rabid crowds howling “THE DON VAL-LEY PARK-WAY” back at the band whether or not they know the context. And as if to distract American fans who might be off-put by the geolocked lyric, the song’s music video is an explosion of NES references. Awesome.

Over three years, PUP (formerly known as “Topanga”. nice.) have accomplished a staggering amount. As an acronym for Pathetic Use of Potential, they’ve been on a constant stream of venue upgrades, from residencies at Sneaky Dees (their logo is inspired by the venue’s legendary graffiti) to a showcase at NXNE, then SXSW. They’ll close out 2016 with another huge show at the Danforth Music Hall, and with any luck they’ll be celebrating their Polaris Music Prize win.

The Dream is Over confronts the less-than-pretty part of that success. The unending hours on the road; the total lack of anything resembling privacy or comfort; the inevitable infighting; PUP are intimately familiar – and transparent – about all of it. Nowhere is it more aggressively committed than on the album’s lead-off track “If this Tour Doesn’t Kill You (I Will)”. Don’t mistake this for an awkward, unnecessary airing of dirty laundry on behalf of the band, or a prelude to an impending breakup. This song (and the entire album for that matter) is quintessentially them. The lyrics are impulsive, but the instrumentation – a slow, melodic build into abject punk chaos – beautifully captured the pent-up rage that comes with spending the majority of your day/week/month/year/decade crammed together in a tour van.

It’s a lofty statement, but The Dream is Over is as good as modern punk gets. It’s angry (sometimes over triviality), but the act of listening to it alone is a great release. It refuses to take itself seriously, but the band is deadly serious about its craft. It’s raw, but refuses to sacrifice production values. And most importantly, it’s fun without being a direct pitch to every EA Sports title. All this stuff elevates PUP miles above their peers, and the genre itself.

If you enjoyed the earlier parts of the nineties Punk revival; Operation Ivy, Pennywise, Rancid or Bad Religion (pissed I didn’t mention the more obscure ones? That’s the spirit!), then The Dream is Over is 30-plus minutes aimed straight at your aging punk heart.