Released on 6 June 2025, "More" the 8th., studio album by English indie rock band Pulp, has been produced by James Ford and its the band's first solo album in nearly 24 years since their last "We Love Life" in 2001, and their first without beloved bass/guitarist Steve Mackey "Freaks" in 1987 who died in 2023, Mackey is credite as a songwriter on two songs. The album has spawned two singles so far "Spike Island" which was released on 10 April 2025, accompanied with a music video and reaching No. 32 on Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay this was the first time that a Pulp song had appeared on any radio airplay chart in the United States and the second single "Got To Have Love".
So one day, the band decided to unveiling a new song in front of a hometown crowd clearly unlocked something in the band: by the first half of 2024 they were writing new material and reviving old ideas, with a three-week recording stint following in the back half. Overseen by Arctic Monkeys producer James Ford, and featuring classic drummer Nick Banks, guitarist Mark Webber, and keyboardist Candida Doyle, as well as Cocker, of course, it was the quickest a Pulp album had ever been recorded.
The album opener "Spike Island", which feels as instantly classic as any of the band's 90s hits. Beginning with an addictive drum beat and bouncy bassline, the song settles into a deep disco-groove as Cocker drops the typically absurd anecdote "I was wrestling with the coat hanger, can you guess who won?", before the singalong chorus harks back to the band's anthemic Britpop days with an infectious melody ready-made for rowdy arenas and festival fields. The next track also extends a Pulp tradition, namely that their songs often feature women's names "Tina" lives up to the lineage. Boasting an earworm chorus amidst hushed verses of obsession, "Tina" is vintage Pulp, Cocker recalling "scenes from a marriage that never took place", lampooning his own delusions with a wink. "We're really good together/ Cos we never meet." The next song "Grown Ups" is a bit of a gamble, coming in at 5:56 seconds, making it the longest song on the album. Pulp are no stranger to long songs, however, and it pays off brilliantly, stabby keyboards bolstered by a driving riff, as Cocker’s vivid lyrics guide us through his experiences of ageing. In purposeful contrast is the following song "Slow Jam", which does exactly what it says on the tin, and slows things way, way down. Underpinned by a chilled, funky bassline, Cocker proposes that "instead of having us this Slow Death/ We should be having us a Slow Jam", in what appears to a thinly veiled plea for his lover to go to bed with him, instead of lamenting the inevitable demise of their relationship.
"Farmers Market" welcomes the first light of a fresh one romance, full of delicate strings, dreamy synth lines, jazzy drums, and tender piano, the song is reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys' 2022 single "There’d Better Be A Mirrorball", perhaps not surprisingly given Ford's involvement, and the fact that both bands hail from Sheffield, with Cocker’s deep, northern croon almost certainly serving as an inspiration for Alex Turner as he embraced regional, easy listening-esque vocals. The next track "My Sex" serves as an audacious tonal shift, Cocker's sensual whisper marking a return to the awkward, smutty swagger which powered a considerable amount of Pulp's biggest hits. On second single "Got To Have Love", a disco-pop stomper containing a masterful build and release which will surely prove to be a dizzying highlight live. From here on in we're in full ballad territory, and while that might not be what Pulp are best known for, it's arguably the greatest strength of their current iteration. ‘Background Noise’ is a sweeping tale of post-breakup realisation, a melodic, heartfelt chorus which stands apart as one of the album's greatest moments.
"Partial Eclipse" is nice if a little forgettable, though penultimate song "Hymn of the North" is anything but. Beginning with a simple piano refrain that will repeat and develop over the duration, the song slowly builds, Cocker advising those born in the North of England to “please stay in sight of the mainland”, before an intriguing section in which he repeats the line “there’s just one thing you ought to know”
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