After 24 years of silence on the album front, Sheffield icons Pulp have confirmed they will be releasing a new album. Entitled ‘More‘, it is set to land on June 6 via Rough Trade Records.
The announcement arrives with lead single ‘Spike Island’, a sprawling slow-builder drenched in synths, strings and slide guitar. There’s even a new video too. Produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C.), the track carefully balances nostalgia with something sharp.
This is the band’s first full-length since We Love Life dropped in 2001. According to frontman Jarvis Cocker, the spark for a new album was lit in 2023 during their reunion tour. A new track called ‘Hymn of the North’ slipped into the Sheffield setlist and from there, the floodgates opened. Most of More came together in the first half of 2024.
It’s not all brand new though. Some songs actually rework ideas from the ’90s. Richard Hawley and Jason Buckle pitched in on the music, while string arrangements by Richard Jones were handled by the Elysian Collective. There’s even a backing vocal cameo from the Eno family. The album truly sounds like a patchwork quilt of trusted collaborators and old mates.
The entire album was tracked in just three weeks in Walthamstow, starting from November 18. Cocker calls it the shortest album session in Pulp’s history, but it sounds like the band knew exactly what they were doing. “This is the best that we can do,” Cocker said. “Thanks for listening.” The album is also dedicated to the bands late bassist Steve Mackey.
Based on ‘Spike Island’, expectations have likely been raised considerably high for the upcoming album. It’s true Pulp. Weathered, weird and still wired to the same offbeat pulse.
More arrives on June 6. Which, if you think about it, isn’t too long to wait. I mean we’ve waited decades, so a few more weeks won’t hurt.
