User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
The  Dream Is Over Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 29 Ratings

  • Summary: The second full-length release for the Toronto punk band was recorded despite a diagnosis of a possible end of Stefan Babcock's singing career due to a hemorrhaging cyst on his vocal cords if he continued.
Buy Now
Buy on

Top Track

Dvp
Your sister thinks that I'm a freak! She's been ignoring my calls We haven't SPOKEN IN A WEEK! I get so drunk that I can't speak Yeah nothing's... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. 90
    Turning it up to eleven, PUP’s second album is a tongue-in-cheek rampage through everything that matters. The dream might not be what they thought it would be, but when they’re capable of a record as unrelenting as this one, then it’s certainly not over.
  2. 90
    Very versatile and loaded with replay value, prep yourselves for one of the best records you'll hear this year.
  3. May 26, 2016
    86
    The Dream Is Over is one of the most unapologetically over-the-top punk albums in recent memory, and fitting proof that Babcock’s vocals are still fully functional.
  4. May 26, 2016
    80
    The Dream Is Over has no pretext or pretence; the band did what they did best in 2013, and then did it a bit better here.
  5. May 31, 2016
    78
    Frankly, the energy and intensity that’s channeled into the first half of The Dream is Over feels utterly impossible, especially given the subject matter. But even at 31 minutes, Babcock’s relentless self-loathing can go from intoxicating to simply toxic.
  6. May 26, 2016
    75
    With its gritted teeth and threats of violence, “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You I Will” sets the tone for the rest of The Dream Is Over, a feral animal of an album that frequently lashes out without warning.
  7. Jun 22, 2016
    50
    Stephan Babcock is a determined performer, and his bandmates are suitable harmonizers, but even at a tight 30-minutes the album’s lack of strong melodic direction quickly turns tiresome with its stilted, colorless sonic onslaught.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Jun 25, 2016
    9
    The lyrics, the bursts of energy, the claustrophobia: everything in PUP's second album makes it the most raw and frank piece of work aboutThe lyrics, the bursts of energy, the claustrophobia: everything in PUP's second album makes it the most raw and frank piece of work about turning into an adult we'll see this year. The Toronto band didn't grew up since their debut, and this is why "The Dream Is Over" is a astonishing record

    Best Tracks: DVP, Sleep In The Heat, Old Wounds, Familiar Patters
    Expand
  2. Sep 15, 2019
    8
    It's a great punk album that although the lyrical content on the album can be questionable on some tracks, it has a lot of energy to it.It's a great punk album that although the lyrical content on the album can be questionable on some tracks, it has a lot of energy to it. (8/10)

    Favorite Tracks: If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will and Familiar Points.
    Least favorite tracks: Sleep in the Heat and Can't Win.
    Expand