Who had a new Pulp album on their 2025 bingo card then? Seemingly dropping without any real fanfare, the first new album from the Sheffield outfit in 13 years is interesting to say the least.
On the one hand More is everything fans of the band could want it to be – an almost direct follow up to 1995’s Different Class in terms of themes, whilst simultaneously showing a growth and maturity in songwriting , indeed it certainly feels in places that frontman Jarvis Cocker actually has something not just to say, but that he wants to say. On the other hand, however, it feels in parts like a retread of everything the band has done before – the whispered names, the emphasis on working class tropes = without the fun and originality it had in the 90’s.
Opener Spike Island is a strong start showcasing all that made the band popular way back when, Tina continues the vibe even if it does occasionally remind one of “Deborah” from Disco 2000, while Grown Ups deserves to be a single and in every live set Pulp do from here on – the lyrics show what a raconteur Jarvis can be, the chorus melody is sublime and we even get a cheeky “are you sure?” a la Common People (remember what I said about themes from Different Class). That said, the spoken middle 8 is not only equally reminiscent of Sorted For E’s and Whizz, but also frankly a bit bizarre – which surely sets it up to be most people’s favourite track.
Slow Jam is the first true sign on the album of a band that has evolved with their age, while My Sex sounds timeless despite the fact it probably wouldn’t have existed in the 90’s and although it is not for this review to determine what it’s about the lyrics are indeed thought provoking despite the fact out of all the songs presented here this is the one that constantly feels like it’s on the edge of having on Flight of the Conchords suddenly dropping a David Bowie impersonation.
Everything you know about Pulp seems to fly out the window when it comes to Got to Have Love, however, as not only is new Pulp music a bit of a shock, but the fact they seem to have written a disco track has no doubt caused several algorithm issues on Spotify accounts around the country. At least right up until we get yet another spoken word middle 8, that would probably have been brilliantly impactful had it been the first one presented on the album, but it just seems to be entering dead horse territory, particularly when this one starts spelling the word “love” – F.E.E.L.I.N.G C.A.L.L.E.D L.O.V.E anyone
As the album draws to a close, unfortunately it must be said so does a lot of the interest when first pressing play on the album, which isn’t how you want to feel about anyone’s album, but particularly when it’s the first new material in over a decade from a band that defined the youth of so many in Great Britain and no doubt overseas. The Hymn of the North is a well composed piece, but when most of your identity in the public eye has been being from Yorkshire, perhaps this is a bit much, although it may have just been included on here as a filler, as the song was originally written in 2019 by Jarvis for a play called Light Falls.
Album closer A Sunset is a nice soothing wind down of a track,but lacks any real substance and leaves one questioning whether there really was anything to get your teeth into on the rest of the album.
To try and summarise the album; More feels like a top heavy album that doesn’t quite maintain interest all the way through. However, it would be remiss to not acknowledge that there is some better songwriting on display here, by a band who are approaching their 40th anniversary, than most of what’s in the charts right now.
6/10
More is out now via Rough Trade Records. For more information on Pulp head here
