Don’t look now, but Pulp’s masterful 1995 album Different Class, perhaps the high-point of the Britpop phenomenon and maybe the most re-listenable of all the iconic albums of that incredible year, turns 30 this fall. And while Jarvis Cocker and the gang, minus the late, great bassist Steve Mackey, have recently returned to the live stage, even announcing a pair of September gigs with LCD Soundsystem in Los Angeles, the idea of new music seemed a bit far-fetched.
But Pulp have always warned us to expect the unexpected, and today (April 10) deliver a palatable new single called “Spike Island,” which on first listen feels to align a bit more with the cinematic This Is Hardcore era of the band, with electronics from the Separations period and perhaps a tinge of Cocker’s solo work. The video features the classic cut-outs from the Different Class album period, giving the visual a nostalgic feel as the song comes across as warmly modern. If anything, it’s pretty interesting.
To make matters all the more serious, the groovy “Spike Island” is the first offering from Pulp’s forthcoming album More, set for release on June 6. The 11-track More will mark the band’s first new album in 24 years, dating back to 2001’s wildly underrated We Love Life.
Let’s all meet up in the year 2025 indeed.
“How did that happen?” Cocker asks. “Well: When we started touring again in 2023, we practiced a new song called ‘Hymn of the North’ during soundchecks & eventually played it at the end of our second night at Sheffield Arena. This seemed to open the floodgates: We came up with the rest of the songs on this album during the first half of 2024. A couple are revivals of ideas from last century. The music for one song was written by Richard Hawley. The music for another was written by Jason Buckle. The Eno family sing backing vocals on a song. There are string arrangements written by Richard Jones & played by the Elysian Collective.”
Cocker adds that the record was recorded with James Ford in London over three weeks, the shortest amount of time the band crafted a record in what he dubbed “the modern era.” We won’t check in to see if It or Freaks was recorded in less time. We’re all busy.
“We hope you enjoy the music,” Cocker concludes. “It was written & performed by four human beings from the North of England, aided & abetted by five other human beings from various locations in the British Isles. No A.I. was involved during the process. This album is dedicated to Steve Mackey. This is the best that we can do. Thanks for listening.”
Go ahead and help the aged by listening to “Spike Island” below.