Pulp Announce First Album in 24 Years, Share New Single ‘Spike Island’

More is set for release this June.

Image Tom Jackson

Brit-pop celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so it makes sense that one of the founding acts of the genre would release a new album, although not too many would have picked Pulp.

Arriving on June 6 via Rough Trade (pre-order here), More is the Jarvis Cocker-led collective’s first album in 24 years. Produced by James Ford (Blur, Gorillaz, Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines DC) and recorded and mixed at Orbb Studio in Walthamstow E17, More consists of 11 tracks, including first single, ‘Spike Island’.

The tune is classic Pulp, with Cocker’s suave vocals crooning, “Something stopped me dead in my tracks / I was heading for disaster, and then I turned back,” over synth pop production. Inspired by Stone Roses’ infamous Spike Island gig, the track was co-written with Jason Buckle (Relaxed Muscle), who attended the concert.

‘Spike Island’ is accompanied by a Jarvis Cocker-directed music video featuring photographs of the band taken in 1995 for Pulp’s Different Class album shoot.

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Cocker also released a statement explaining how Pulp got back together and the reason for recording a new album after so many years, which you can read below.

“This is the first Pulp album since We Love Life in 2001. Yes: the first Pulp album for 24 years.

“How did that happen?

“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.

“The album was recorded over 3 weeks by James Ford in Walthamstow, London, starting on November 18th, 2024. This is the shortest amount of time a Pulp album has ever taken to record. It was obviously ready to happen.

“These are the facts.

“We hope you enjoy the music. 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.”

More arrives on June 6 via Rough Trade (pre-order here). Check out the album artwork and tracklist below.

More Official tracklist

1. Spike Island

2. Tina

3. Grown Ups

4. Slow Jam

5. Farmers Market

6. My Sex

7. Got To Have Love

8. Background Noise

9. Partial Eclipse

10. The Hymn of the North

11. A Sunset

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