Pulp Deliver More, An Album Review

“Do you want some more?“ Jarvis Cocker asked the people on Pulp’s 2023 Encore tour. Now, two years later, we have more, in the shape of a brand new studio album called (of course) More!

More is Pulp’s eighth studio album, and their first since We Love Life was released in October 2001. The 11 tracks were recorded in London over three weeks in November 2024 with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets, Florence and the Machine) at the helm. The album made its public debut 8 days before release at a number of listening parties around the country. Sheffield hosted three of them with drummer Nick Banks attending the playback at Bear Tree Records. The album received a rapturous reception which I’m sure Nick appreciated. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after nearly 25 years Pulp really are back with new music!

The genesis of the album started, appropriately enough, in Sheffield. At the Utilita Arena Sheffield on 15 July 2023, right at the very end of the concert after the encore had seemingly finished, a piano was wheeled on to the centre of the stage and Pulp performed a brand new song: 'The Hymn of the North'. “And nobody booed!” Jarvis told Jools Holland on a recent episode of “Later”. In the album press release Jarvis explains “this seemed to open the floodgates: we came up with the rest of the songs on this album during the first half of 2024”.

We Love Life concluded in 2001 with the epic “Sunrise” that ensured they went out on a bang and not a whimper. More kicks off in fine style with 'Spike Island', the first single which was released on 7” vinyl. “I was born to perform, it’s a calling” sings Jarvis and I’m sure no one would doubt him. This is classic Pulp, a catchy pop song with a memorable guitar riff and an incessant groove, that sits comfortably between the likes of 'Babies', 'Disco 2000', and of course 'Common People'. It’s the song that you know they’ll play at every gig from now on, and with good reason!

'Tina' is a bouncing song reflecting on a lost love that wouldn’t feel out of place on 1994’s His N Hers, while 'Grown Ups' would sit comfortably on 1995’s Different Class. In fact, much of the album sounds like it’s cherry picked the best bits from all of Pulp’s previous albums, while still feeling fresh and new.

Track 4, 'Slow Jam' was actually debuted during Jarvis’s 2021 solo tour, and his Jarv Is band played it at the Sheffield Octagon in November of that year. In fact for this latest version of Pulp, Jarvis has amalgamated his solo band with Pulp so now Andrew McKinney (bass), Emma Smith (violin, guitar), Adam Betts (percussion, guitar, keyboards) and Richard Jones (viola, keyboards) play comfortably alongside long-term Pulp members Candida Doyle (keyboards), Mark Webber (lead guitar), and Nick Banks (drums). 'Slow Jam' is a big swirling orchestral song that makes full use of all of these brilliant musicians and it really sores. It’ll be a favourite on Pulp’s live set I’m sure.

“Ain’t it time we started living?” The first side of the album is brought to a close with 'Farmers Market'. If 'Spike Island' is classic Pulp, then 'Farmers Market' is classic Jarvis. Who else could write a love song centred around a farmers market?! “I didn’t meet my wife in a farmers market, but it’s kind of about her”, Jarvis explained to Jools Holland. It’s an unexpectedly beautiful, piano-led song, and one of the album’s biggest highlights.

'My Sex' opens the second half of the album with a haunting guitar from Mark Webber, and a great bass groove from Andrew, over a lyric by Jarvis that returns to familiar territory from earlier Pulp albums, but is an interesting take on sex/gender and gender fluidity. It’s dark and brooding and could easily fit on 1998’s This Is Hardcore.

'Got To Have Love' is the second single from the album and is another catchy pop song that has an irresistible chorus that will get everyone singing along. The perfect song for the summer, it features another brilliant guitar solo from Mark Webber - Jarvis’s solo work has been very strong, but it’s so good to hear him reunited with Mark’s guitar again after all these years. The bassline and pounding drums from Nick Banks make this another joyous highlight on the album, and the spoken-word section marks it out as classic Pulp.

'Background Noise' and 'Partial Eclipse' are two beautiful string-laden songs that wouldn’t be out of place on 2001’s We Love Life and provide a tender, more mellow moment before the album reaches its finale. Lush strings feature heavily on this album, arranged by Rich Jones and Emma Smith.

The aforementioned 'The Hymn of the North' is the penultimate song on the album and remains largely unchanged from that version first performed in Sheffield in July 2023. Originally written for a play, it’s a big and epic piece, akin to This Is Hardcore (although thematically very different of course). “So don’t forget your northern blood, no never forget your northern blood”, Jarvis sings, perhaps to remind himself of his roots as he’s not lived in Sheffield for many years. He’s still unmistakably a Sheffielder though, and adored in his hometown! The song is quite simply a masterpiece, one of the greatest things Pulp have ever recorded.

'A Sunset' brings the album to a memorable close. The music for this song was written by friend of the band (and former Pulp touring guitarist) Richard Hawley, who also plays guitar on the track. It’s not a big musical blockbuster like We Love Life closer 'Sunrise', it’s one of the shortest tracks on the album, but it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a Pulp/Hawley collaboration, but with the added bonus of featuring a choir made up of Brian Eno and members of his family!

And after 50 minutes the album is finished. It’s longer than most albums these days which rarely clock-in longer than 35 minutes, but it never feels too long or outstays its welcome. The album is dedicated to much-missed Pulp bassist Steve Mackey who sadly died in 2023, and it feels like a fitting tribute to him.

So, Pulp are back. And they’re back with a bang, and arguably one of the best albums of their career. Whether this is a one-off or the start of a creative renaissance has yet to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, it’ll definitely leave you wanting More…

Pulp begin their UK tour in Glasgow on Saturday 7th June before headlining a sold-out Tramlines on Friday 25th July. More is available in several different physical versions and on several different formats, including a rather striking “Sheffield stores-only South Yorkshire Sunset clear and red marble vinyl” available from the likes of Bear Tree Records, Spinning Discs, and Record Collector, as well as HMV on Fargate and Meadowhall. The album is also availble on all good streaming platforms for you to have on repeat!