Please, Jarvis, can I have some More?

They say that “less is more,” but in this case, more is more!

Can you believe that I was one of the first people in THE WHOLE WORLD to hear Pulp’s new album, More? Because I can’t! I need to get a grip, to be honest, because I’m not actually as special as that makes me sound… they held forty listening parties across the country.

Fourteen-year-old me would go absolutely INSANE if she knew that Pulp are releasing new music for the first time in her lifetime. I remember the day my mom had said, “you’d like Pulp, have a listen to them,” and the exact feeling of listening to them for the very first time. I INSTANTLY fell head over heels for Jarvis Cocker’s voice; especially his freaky whispers down the microphone. I had never heard something so obscure before, and I couldn’t (I still can’t, in fact!) understand how lyrics about such mundane things could be turned into music I’d happily get on the dancefloor to.

Ever since my first listen, although they don’t know it, Pulp have constantly stuck by my side. From learning Jarvis’ dance moves in the Common People music video in my GCSE drama class, to watching A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets on loop, pointing out every cameo of Jarvis in a Wes Anderson film, to even meeting Nick Banks! They’ve played a pivotal role in my teen years, and if there’s ever a biopic made about me (dream on, girl), Pulp would soundtrack it all.

I’ll never forget 2023, the year Britpop was revived for that minute amount of time, and I’d already been lucky enough to bag tickets to Blur’s pre-Wembley warm-up gig. And then Pulp announced a tour to celebrate 25 years of This is Hardcore. I was ecstatic at the news… until I was distraught to find out that they weren’t going to play anywhere near me.

Cut to two years later, and I’m in the exact same situation. Except this time, I’m screaming and crying hysterically to find out that Pulp would be touring once again this year, and at a venue I could actually reach! And to top off my excitement, I was lucky enough to get tickets!

Since then, me and my best friend had sat in the university library and forgot about all university assignment stress for 4 minutes and 41 seconds when we got to hear Spike Island, Pulp’s newest single in TWENTY FOUR YEARS be played for the first time ever on BBC 6 Music! I was instantly taken back to the feeling I had when I heard the band for the first time. I completely agree with Jarvis saying it goes hand in hand with Sorted for E’s and Wizz: Spike Island just completely epitomises the music that helped the band’s breakthrough in 1995.

Just over a month later, the band treats us AGAIN with Got to Have Love, which is definitely my favourite of the two singles. In my opinion, it blends together all of Pulp’s previous work, but heavily reminds me of F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E and the His ‘n’ Hers single, with a sprinkle of We Love Life, too.

Just before this release, however, Pulp had announced that they were going to be holding album listening parties, on the day I now call “National Pulp Day”: the 29th May, where the band took over 6 Music, Radio 2, and BBC 2, feeding us all with their comeback. I managed to get a ticket for the listening party at Birmingham’s HMV Vault, for just £2.50, which I could not complain about in the slightest.

I don’t use this shop in particular that often, mostly just because of it selling the same stuff as every other HMV in the world, so this was one of my first proper times in there. I was meant to attend an album signing with The Darkness at the Vault back in April, but it got cancelled. Don’t set me off… I’m still emotional about it.

The event started at half 5 and once we had joined the queue I realised there wasn’t enough seats for everyone. So as we walked into the album listening corner, as I’ll call it, I did feel as though I was in primary school, walking to assembly, and then having to sit on the floor. I joke, but I genuinely can’t complain at all. We were all given a quiz to begin with, and of course Miss Number One Pulp Fan over here thought she would EASILY get them all right. She was wrong… In my defence, they were really hard! I don’t know which Canadian actor sang a cover of Common People!

I have just Googled it, and I’m none the wiser. I have no clue who William Shatner is… (is that bad?!)

Then we were all given free tote bags, which I’m immensely grateful for! It was brown, the most Pulp-ish colour ever, and inside, we had badges, pens, notebooks, and even a poster with the new album cover on! And then, before we got to listen, we were shown a video that Jarvis had filmed for us and all the other listening parties around the country, telling us about the album!

We started with Spike Island, which we were all singing along to, of course. My favourite lyric is, “I was wrestling with a coat hanger, can you guess who won?” because, unfortunately, I do think the coat hanger would have won…

Farmer’s Market was a big standout to me on the album. Including Jarvis’ iconic whispering and backed by a light piano, it gave me goosebumps the entire time, so I must say, keep your eyes- or rather, ears- open for that one.

Now, if you don’t take anything from this blog post, PLEASE just remember these four words. HYMN. OF. THE. NORTH. The penultimate song on the album, I truly believe my life has been transformed since hearing that. It was a spiritual, out of body experience. I was honestly on the verge of tears the entire time. I can only compare it to Big Julie, from Jarvis’ debut solo album. I have never been *that* taken away by not only his vocals, but also the whole composition of the band. I seriously think that the whole song and the music itself really represented that Pulp are here forever. For the next five years, fifty years, five THOUSAND years.

I will always be so grateful that I was able to have this experience. Listening to Pulp’s previous music, I, as mostly likely everyone else does too, relates it back to a certain musical period in time: the Britpop era. It reminds me of all bands from that time and the musical sound that was created. But after listening to More in full, I’ve been reminded that Pulp are a timeless band, and they always will be. They’re someone who my children will probably listen to, and hopefully will even be heard by the time my generation have grandchildren around. Their music will never be dated whatsoever, and this album has certainly proved that. Not two of their albums sound the same, and as listeners, we can really appreciate that they have just kept evolving and evolving, which is certainly clear after a 24-year break from releasing music.

I can only just keep repeating that you are all in for such a treat when this album comes out on the 6th June. I would even go as far as to say this is probably their best album yet. Bold statement, I know, and you may not believe me, but when More is released, at least I know that I can turn around and say, “I told you so.”