Pulp – More review

Twenty-four years. Don’t call it a comeback. If you want to understand one of the reasons why, after more than two decades, one of Britain’s musical institutions is back, you can ask Mr. J. Cocker himself — and he’ll tell you:
“I was born to perform. It’s a calling. I exist to do this — shouting and pointing.”

Cocker had hardly been idle since it was released, but Pulp’s first album since 2001’s We Love Life marks the end of hiatus many felt would be permanent. The mechanics at least were straightforward, with the now quartet bolstered by the recruitment of Emma Smith and Andrew McKinney from the singer’s other thing, whilst producer-du-jour James Ford was put in charge of rejuvenating their curtain twitching elan.

Prototypical excerpts from More have also existed in various guises, Hymn of The North dating back originally to 2019, whilst an instrumental version of Grown Ups featured in the unreleased demos for This Is Hardcore.

Even if however the element of musical surprise has largely gone, their collective ability to both recreate and deconstruct their own legacy is impressively uplifting; opener Spike Island struts with a corduroy vigour, Tina offers up a louche sex jam for blow up dolls and Farmer’s Market charmingly acts it’s age not it’s shoe size.

Those waiting patiently though, either for the last quarter of a century or just through the main body of the record, may feel that their hopes of a showstopper were seen as too gauche for more knowing times. But then comes Got to Have Love, a kitchen sink of soul and Scott Walker that threatens the pop-o-meter’s very existence, a full stop and exclamation mark which makes everyone glad they came.

Jarvis Cocker and friends were born to do this, and we’re born to listen. More could’ve been a lot of things, but unlovable isn’t one of them.

You can read a full review here.