Pulp Returns with More: A Comeback That Cuts Through the Noise

Pulp returns with More, their first album in over two decades—a sharp, reflective record that proves they’ve still got something to say.

After more than two decades of silence, Pulp has returned with a new studio album that feels both unexpected and entirely earned. Titled More, the record marks the band's first full-length release since 2001’s We Love Life, and it arrives at a moment when few would have blamed them for staying retired. Instead, the Sheffield, UK group has delivered a sharp, tightly written collection that reaffirms their place in British music—while pushing their sound into more reflective, mature territory.

Released on June 6, More was recorded in a relatively short three-week stretch during the fall of 2024 at Orbb Studio in London. Despite the brisk timeline, the record is one of Pulp’s most cohesive works—clear in its intention, confident in its delivery, and striking in its restraint.

Right from the first notes of “Spike Island,” Jarvis Cocker’s unmistakable storytelling takes hold—wry, sharp, and unexpectedly vulnerable. The song itself sets the tone for an album preoccupied with memory and presence.

Cocker, now in his sixties, doesn’t attempt to recapture the frantic urgency of Different Class or the wounded glamour of This Is Hardcore. Instead, he leans into age and hindsight, writing lyrics that turn over past decisions with a careful, almost forensic clarity.

The lineup features core members from the band’s most iconic years: Cocker, guitarist Mark Webber, keyboardist Candida Doyle, and drummer Nick Banks. Absent is longtime bassist Steve Mackey, who passed away in 2023. Mackey’s presence is nonetheless felt—he appears posthumously on two tracks, and the album is dedicated in part to his memory.

Among the album’s standout tracks is Grown Ups, a mid-tempo meditation on the compromises and quiet admissions of middle age. Tina is more playful, pairing barbed lines about fleeting romance with shimmering synths. Then there’s Got to Have Love, arguably the most emotionally direct song Pulp has ever recorded. The song’s rich string arrangement and bare, honest lyrics bring Scott Walker to mind, while Cocker’s vocals sit somewhere between a personal admission and a quiet appeal.

Also of note is The Hymn of the North, a sweeping ballad that was first introduced during the band’s live shows in 2023. Here, in studio form, it’s transformed into a stately centerpiece—a song about dislocation, climate, and a kind of national melancholy that feels uniquely British.

Visually, More continues Pulp’s tradition of striking album art. The cover—shot by Cocker himself in Iceland—features a collage of imagery that bridges the band’s past and present, a subtle nod to Different Class but with a colder, more elemental tone.

Critics have received the album warmly. The Guardian called it an album full of anthems and rage for the next life stage, while Pitchfork described it as a record unafraid to reflect on time lost and choices made. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, the band’s first chart-topper since 1998’s This Is Hardcore. It also reached the top of the vinyl sales chart, underscoring Pulp’s cross-generational appeal and the loyalty of their longtime fanbase.

Pulp has announced select tour dates across the UK and Ireland, with more expected. While no one can say if this will be the start of a new chapter or simply a well-written epilogue, More stands on its own merits. It’s not a nostalgia act or a retread. It’s a late-career triumph—clear-eyed, self-aware, and still distinctly Pulp.

---

Featured Tracks:

• Spike Island
• Grown Ups
• Tina
• Got to Get Love
• The Hymn of the North

Sources:

• The Guardian
• Pitchfork
• Reuters
• Pulp