Album Review: Pulp – More.
3 min read
As one of the cornerstones of the Britpop era, Pulp’s return may have been a surprise, but at this point is entirely necessary. With Blur’s 2023 comeback album alongside two sold out shows at Wembley, and Oasis’ return this year, the revival is in full swing and would not be complete without the Javis Cocker-led outfit. Despite being active for much longer than the aforementioned acts, it was their 1995 album Different Class, and the hit singles Common People and Disco 2000 that cemented their name firmly in the decade. Nearly 25 years since their last full-length record, the band have returned with the fittingly titled More.
Open Spike’s Island has all the sheen of a modern pop record, but Jarvis’ voice brings it back to the 90s aesthetic. Shimmering synths and fat drums lead the tune, while more open parts in the mix like the post-chorus claps allow breathing space. Tina has an ominous feel as Jarvis recounts his encounters with the mysterious and ever-changing protagonist. The string sections meld with the guitars to create a wonderful airiness to the song. Grown Ups is the first song to open up Jarvis’ storytelling, the meandering progression giving ample room for his tale of venturing out alone and acting like an adult when that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the first in a number of tracks in a similar vein, Slow Jam and Farmers Market following a similar pattern, the latter taking a subtle swing influence in its instrumentation.
My Sex is a peculiar song, the hushed tones of the title leading into Jarvis’ musings about his sexuality, or perhaps about societal views on the subject. It’s worth multiple listens just to try and interpret what is trying to be said with lines like ‘my sex is not forever; it’s two silences; two silences stitched together’. Got To Have Love is an upbeat declaration of the emotion with a few questionable lyrics but an overall fun attitude. Background Noise creates a gorgeously dissonant ambient layer throughout that leans into the song’s themes of love becoming something you only notice when it’s gone, while Partial Eclipse and The Hymn of the North are effectively emotional ballads, the latter’s theatrical strings and tempo changes adding an additional weight. A Sunset concludes the album with subtle acoustic ballad about the joys of art and how it can be more powerful than real life.
No one is going to be shocked by the quality of this release, but it’s good to see that after so long Pulp as a collective have still got it. Instrumentally it’s tight and expertly mixed, and Jarvis’ voice always grabs the listeners attention, whatever your views of his lyrics are. Fans can rest easy in the knowledge that More fits comfortably within Pulp’s back catalogue and may possibly open the floodgates for new listeners to jump on board.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
