PULP
More
(Rough Trade Records)
They say that patience is a virtue, it’s not one I possess.
I’ve heard More in its entirety this evening (29/05/25), in an ideal world a ‘Listening Party’ would be a quiet affair, with an air of reverence for the music, in reality - it’s a gaggle of people standing in a record store, too many of whom have come along for some new background music whilst they discuss who should cook tonight…
So, did we need More… When your band's last album was We Love Life, you’ve bowed out on a high note, following that was never going to be easy, but with a loyal fanbase - there’s a sense that it's going to be hard for anything Pulp release to not be met with enthusiasm and adoration. After what is, a cursory listen, it’s at least as good as Different Class.
The Album opens strong, with Spike Island - the lead single that mercifully was not a dialled in, Pulp by numbers effort rather an evolved, and gently aged continuation, rather than a toe curlingly uncomfortable attempt at recreating the glory days. Tina continues in this vein, alternating between a low choppy beat and rising chorus, echoes of both Nancy Sinatra and their own musical archives, refrains dusted down like they’d never been glassed over by Britpop.
Grown Ups has a slow, stretchy rhythm, nice strings.. Lyrically this seems to be a reflection of that limbo the inbetweenager ~ pseudo adulthood, this is the sounds meaningful but is uncomfortably close to the chats you overheard at long gone ‘afters’. Slow Jam, a funk infused number, the combination of strings and keys sounds like aeolian processes passing though caves, whilst JC has a casual conversation with Jesus.
Followed up by a piano led track, Farmers Market moves like waves on an ocean, and deceives your ears with its relative simplicity, if layered instruments and careful composition could ever be considered simple. The vocal pattern isn’t going to be for everyone, moving between whisper and imploringly strong, but the fade out is gorgeous, strings quietening till they sound like distant birds. My Sex vastly improves as it settles into itself, all synth and strings and occasional lyrics which will probably annoy a very specific group of people. Highlighting the evolution of Jarvis’s sound during Pulp’s hiatus, and is one of the stronger tracks for it. And yet for all of its relative differences it leads wonderfully into Got to Have Love, one of the most quintessentially ‘classic’ Pulp sounding tracks on the album, a track that improves with every listen, there’s a lot to hear here, and so little space to do so.
Background Noise opens with wall of sound percussion, it’s slow and quiet in comparison to the preceding track, but is as close to magenta velvet as a song can feel, the lustrous fade out brings us to Partial Eclipse. Think of cups of tea as the light fades, the faint melancholy remains throughout rather than sneaking in a tempo switch. Whilst the vocals are reminiscent of the shipping forecast, I cannot shake the feeling that I’ll appreciate this song much more in about 6 months.
There’s something ear itching familiar as the piano opens up the Hymn of the North, this is a song with two sides, one gentle, rising and falling with punctuated strings juxtaposed with something altogether darker, and more dramatic. Like a song lost at sea, there is that urgency and movement it’s shape reflecting the lyrics.
A Sunset is a little bit bagpuss as it opens, but builds into something quite remarkable. Background chatter is masking the fullness of the track, which seems to be a well balanced mix of stripped back composition and choral backing, only as the strings kick in and the music rises and rises can I begin to appreciate it, before it fades away, in what is, undeniably a nice end to the album.
This brief, cursory listen has - reassured me that More will be a welcome addition to my regular listening, it doesn’t sound like a cynical cash grab of an album, it’s absolutely worth a listen, and like a new pair of boots, need bedding in around the house before taking to the hills. Pulp albums are a joy built over time. I will re-review in the future, I need to meet it again, anywhere else. This has not been the most ideal setting, and yet there’s a slight delight as a ripple of excitement moves gently through the crowd, who somehow missed his arrival, notice Nick Banks standing at the back. A ripple of faces light up like a child seeing Santa as he moves quietly to the front of the store, and reads out the raffle tickets. (I collect my exclusive white label on release day…)
