“I was born to perform,” proclaims Jarvis Cocker during Spike Island, the electrifying opener of Pulp’s first album in 24 years. The Sheffield accent and gasps of excitement and arousal remain, and judging by 2023’s run of reunion shows, so do the convulsive dance moves. ‘More’ offers everything you could want from the Britpop legends and, well, more.
Any concerns that this would be a disappointing second act for the band are immediately brushed aside, with ‘More’ showcasing Pulp’s versatility alongside the big choruses, deft wit, groovy melodies and moments of vulnerability that have made them such an enduring musical force.
The characters found within Pulp’s discography could populate a small town in a soap opera, and here Cocker fleshes out more mundane lives, adding colour to the story of the enigmatic Tina, a woman whom he can never quite pluck up the courage to approach. Instead, he fixates on the idea of her, down to her lipstick stains on a coffee cup.
Pulp are at their cheekiest on My Sex, a toe-tapping, half-whispered number that resembles the ‘This is Hardcore’ B-side The Professional.
Its ending is pure chaos: choral, cult-like repetition, frenzied violins, Jarvis panting and breathless. Got To Have Love, meanwhile, is a disco track that gives us the perfect Jarv-ism: “Without love, you’re just jerking off inside someone else.”
Elsewhere, shimmering sonics and soaring, psych-tinged guitars underscore the album’s sprawling tracks. Farmer’s Market begins as a waltz and slowly develops into an ambient and existential number akin to Someone Like The Moon or Seductive Barry. Not only is the production on 'More' beautifully executed, it gives way to moments of vulnerability in the epic Hymn of the North, and closer A Sunset.
More mature themes reveal themselves over time. Slow Jam touches on mortality: “Instead of having us this slow death / we should be having us a slow jam.” Grown Ups, too, muses on the concept of ageing: “You stress about wrinkles instead of acne.”
In his memoir Good Pop, Bad Pop, Cocker unpacked his fascination with pop culture and his desire to make music that reflects and expands upon the “good pop” around us. ‘More’ is a great example of how you might achieve this. It’s an album bursting with life, buoyed by soaring melodies and expert song craft, striking the perfect balance between the Pulp of the past and the Pulp of the present.
Pulp Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri June 13 2025 - LONDON O2 Arena
Sat June 14 2025 - LONDON O2 Arena
Thu June 19 2025 - BIRMINGHAM Utilita Arena
Sat June 21 2025 - MANCHESTER Co-op Live
Fri July 25 2025 - SHEFFIELD Hillsborough Park
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