If Stereolab announcing their first album in 15 years wasn't enough for you this week, Britpop icons Pulp have now announced their first new record in nearly 24 years.
More is due June 6 via Rough Trade. It marks the band's first full-length collection of new material since 2001's We Love Life. It was recorded in three weeks — the shortest time frame a Pulp album has ever been recorded in — at Orbb Studio in Walthamstow with James Ford.
"When we started touring again in 2023, we practiced a new song called 'Hymn of the North' during soundchecks and eventually played it at the end of our second night at Sheffield Arena," Jarvis Cocker said of the new record. "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."
He continued, "We hope you enjoy the music. It was written and performed by four human beings from the North of England, aided and abetted by five other human beings from various locations in the British Isles. No AI was involved during the process. This album is dedicated to Steve Mackey. This is the best that we can do."
Lead single "Spike Island" was inspired by Jason Buckle (Relaxed Muscle), who co-wrote the song and went to the Stone Roses' infamous Spike Island concert. Apparently, a DJ there kept shouting, "Spike Island, come alive!" all day long and annoying everyone, which inspired Cocker to write yet another song about it (following "Sorted for E's & Wizz" from 1995's Different Class) despite having not attended the gig himself.
Watch the music video for "Spike Island" below, where you'll also find the album tracklist.
More:
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