Released: 2025
Genres: Art Rock, Chamber Pop, Alternative Dance
The Musiquarium’s More Review Score: 7.5 out of 10
As Pulp’s first album since 2001’s We Love Life and the first since the untimely passing of bassist Steve Mackey in 2023, More finds Pulp coming together through tragedy to make an excellent return.
A lot has changed in the music landscape since Pulp dissolved, but they don’t seem to have missed a beat, as evident by lead single/opener Spike Island, which is a triumphant disco track. Tina provides a theatrical slice of chamber pop. Slow Jam is indeed a slow jam, with seductive, plucky bass notes throughout, like a drizzle of chocolate over the ice cream of the song. Based on the title, My Sex may initially sound like it would be some erotic romp, but it deals with trans awareness instead.
More comprises of a rich and creamy chamber/orchestral pop sound that has been heard on recent albums like Arctic Monkeys’ The Car, Blur’s The Ballad of Darren and Beth Gibbon’s Lives Outgrown — come to think of it, James Ford produced all three of those albums (plus he’s a member of the orchestral rock band, The Last Shadow Puppets, so he evidently knows his orchestral music) and like those albums, Pulp leaves their stamp on the genre too.
Rather than regressing to a nostalgic nineties britpop sound, More manages to feel modern, but does not lose sense of the group’s identity in the process either. Jarvis Cocker’s baritone sounds like aged whiskey and the rest of the band sounds like the quarter of a century in between hadn’t even passed. More is a solid return and a wonderful tribute to Steve Mackey.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Pulp on Discogs.
Back to the 2025 Album Guide or the Pulp Album Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard
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