★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

“More” is Pulp’s long-awaited return — marking their first studio album in over two decades. Written and recorded in just a few weeks, the album doesn’t sound like a desperate attempt to recapture past glories. Instead, it feels like a measured, honest continuation — both a tribute and an evolution. It’s also a deeply personal record dedicated to late bassist Steve Mackey, whose absence is felt.

Sound & Themes

The album is distinctly Pulp, yet older, wiser, and more subdued. Gone is the cheeky swagger of “Different Class”; in its place is a quieter introspection, one that wrestles with aging, desire, memory, and regret.

Musically, the band blends elements of their past — disco-inflected grooves, orchestral swells, synth-led noir-pop—with a newfound maturity. The arrangements are sleek and textural. The pacing leans slower, sometimes languid, but the emotional depth more than compensates.

Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics remain razor-sharp, if more melancholic. He navigates middle age with a wry smile, touching on lost time, sexual disconnection, and the search for meaning in a post-youth world.

Tracks like Grown Ups and My Sex dive into the absurdity of aging bodies and fading appetites, delivered with dry wit and self-deprecating honesty. 

In Background Noise, Cocker confronts the modern world’s overstimulation with quiet frustration. Meanwhile, A Hymn of the North offers a stunning, slow-building orchestral moment — a reminder of Pulp’s capacity for grandeur.

Standout Tracks

• Spike Island – A catchy, anthemic track that balances nostalgia with sharp present-day commentary (“Something stopped me dead in my tracks. I was headed for disaster and then I turned back…The universe shrugged, shrugged then moved on.”)
• Grown Ups where Cocker jabs at the very notion of adulthood. He toys with the idea that growing up is a lie, that it never really happens. Though the full lyrics are elusive, the tone is unmistakably ironic (“And I am not ageing, no, I am just ripening. And life’s too short to drink bad wine and that’s frightening.”)
• Got To Have Love – A disco-tinged number that is both tongue-in-cheek and strangely sincere (“Without love, you’re just making a fool of yourself. Without love, you’re just jerking off inside someone else…”)
• A Sunset – A soft, acoustic-driven closer that ends the album on a note of weary beauty.

Overall

“More” is not a perfect record — it occasionally wanders, and some tracks don’t fully land — but it’s never less than interesting. It doesn’t try to be “Different Class II” or relive Britpop’s heyday. Instead, it sounds like a band accepting where they are in life and making music accordingly: intelligent, heartfelt, and a little bruised.

This is Pulp aging gracefully but not quietly. There’s still lust, confusion, and wit (“I was born to perform, it’s a calling. I exist to do this, shouting and pointing,” from Spike Island, is proof positive). It is all just filtered through the lens of people who’ve seen a bit more and want to tell you about it without pretending it’s all still sexy or cool. 

It’s not an album trying to prove anything. It simply is — and that’s its quiet triumph. “More” is a thoughtful, emotionally rich return from one of Britain’s most literate and theatrical bands.

It rewards longtime fans with insight, warmth, and just enough glam to remind us why Pulp mattered — and still does.

The Concert: The O₂ Arena, June 14, 2025

Pulp’s two-night stand at The O₂ Arena in June 2025 marked a powerful and theatrical return, proving the band’s enduring relevance and charisma.

I was fortunate to see them on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Jarvis Cocker commanded the stage with his signature eccentric flair — leaping, narrating, joking, and drawing the crowd into a shared experience that was part rock concert, part performance art.

The show was split into two sets with an intermission, allowing the band to blend their beloved hits with bold new material from their latest album. Classics like Common People, Disco 2000, and This Is Hardcore were met with rapturous applause, while new songs such as Grown Ups, Got To Have Love, and the tender closer A Sunset were received like instant fan favorites.

Visually, the production was grand and immersive—multi-level staging, dramatic lighting, a string section, and large video screens elevated the experience. Cocker engaged with the audience throughout, tossing treats into the crowd and inviting singalongs, creating an atmosphere that was both intimate and electric despite the arena scale (and trust me, I really don’t like arenas or stadiums!).

This night felt less like nostalgia and more like a celebration of creative persistence. Pulp’s new material held its own alongside their 90s anthems, and the whole affair radiated wit, warmth, and emotional depth. I’ll admit to having tears in the acoustic version of Something Changed.

But that’s just me. And Pulp.

Chris Garrod, June 14, 2025