Indie legends Pulp have revealed plans for a new album titled "More" and have debuted their first single in nearly 24 years, named "Spike Island."
Talking on Diwali | 6 Music Jarvis Cocker, the lead singer, mentioned that the band was lured back into the recording studio due to the enthusiastic reaction to their reunion tour in 2023.
He mentioned that they performed one fresh track near the tour’s conclusion, and neither objects were thrown nor people departed for drinks. Hence, they decided to proceed and explore what additional ideas they might come up with.
The Sheffield-based group was among the most prominent artists during the 1990s Britpop scene—though their music didn’t entirely align with the nostalgic musical reinterpretation characteristic of that time—with hits such as "Babies," "Disco 2000," and "Common People."
Founded in Sheffield in 1978, they achieved sales of over 10 million records following a (rather lengthy) journey to fame.
Following their album "We Love Life" released in 2001, the group embarked on a ten-year break. They regrouped in 2011 for several festival appearances, notably surprising audiences with a set at Glastonbury, before reconvening once more in 2023.
The latest song draws inspiration from the legendary Stone Roses performance at Spike Island in 1990—a gig that some hail as a pivotal moment for British indie music, while others depict it as an underwhelming mess marred by poor audio quality.
Pulp's guitarist Mark Webber informed BBC Radio 6 Music's Lauren Laverne that the performance felt somewhat disappointing, to say the least.
“I believe everybody experienced it similarly,” he stated. “While there was considerable excitement, the overall atmosphere was lacking due to unfavorable conditions like strong winds, which made everything feel off.”
Cocker mentioned he wasn't present at the event, but crafted the lyrics following conversations with several participants, one of whom was musician Jason Buckle from the band All Seeing I, who collaborated on writing Pulp's single.
All he could recall was a DJ who would say after each track, ' Spike Island springs to life, Spike Island springs to life '," he said.
I kept thinking about those words because my concentration doesn't last long, I believe.
Cocker mentioned that the song serves as a companion piece to "Sorted for E's and Whizz" from 1995, drawing inspiration from the same fan’s account of attending a Stone Roses concert.
He remembered, "The inspiration behind that song came from a conversation with a girl at The Leadmill in Sheffield one evening."
"What she recalled was everyone repeating, ' Has everyone got their E's and Whizz? Thus, those words remained etched in my memory.
Additional releases are scheduled for 6 June and will honor Pulp's ex-bassist Steve Mackey. Who passed away in 2023, at the age of 56? .
Cocker mentioned that initially it felt strange to record without the musician, but he found comfort in knowing that "there were two tracks on the album that go back to when Steve was involved," which gave him a sense of being part of the project.
The singer added, 'It wasn’t the most pleasant experience,' but emphasized that those we have a strong bond with remain unforgettable, and we often find ways to keep their memory alive.
The album was created within a span of three weeks in 2024, and Cocker mentioned that there weren’t “any overarching themes, perhaps just emotions, which might sound quite vague and imprecise.”
He mentioned that the lack of a central concept provided the group with a feeling of liberty, unlike their more thematic albums like "This Is Hardcore."
"I believe we captured it rather swiftly, and we aimed at not overthinking it too much, as that was somewhat what complicated the production of our recent few Pulp records," he stated.
I primarily take the blame," he said, "since I had never sorted out the lyrics, which led me to constantly change them and mess around.
On this occasion, everything was penned down before we entered the recording studio, and I found it considerably less taxing.
As he explained, 'I used to feel quite anxious in the studio because after completing the music, I had to compose the lyrics, which seemed like self-inflicted torture for some reason.'
Artificial intelligence video
In a statement released with the announcement of the record, Cocker commented: "We trust you will appreciate the music. It was crafted and played by four individuals hailing from Northern England, assisted by another five people originating from different parts of the British Isles."
AI did not play a role in this process.
Nevertheless, he utilized artificial intelligence to produce the video for Spike Island, bringing to life the well-known "cardboard cutout" characters featured on the cover of Pulp's best-selling album, Different Class.
"All the moving images featured in the video are the result of me feeding in a still image and then typing in a 'prompt' such as: 'The black & white figure remains still whilst the bus in the background drives off', which led to [a] sequence where the coach weirdly slides towards the cut-out of me," he wrote.
The weekend I started working on the video was an odd period: I left the house and continually anticipated bizarre changes in my surroundings because of the imagery generated by the computer.
This experience left an impression on me. I'm not sure if I have fully recuperated from it.
Once the video was completed, the musician stated that he had decisively chosen "human intellect" over artificial intelligence.
The group will launch their UK tour the day following the album’s release in June, yet, responding to a listener of 6Music, they stated they have "no intentions" to perform at Glastonbury.
Accomplishing this would be akin to performing a logistical miracle since they are scheduled to perform two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in California during the same weekend as Glastonbury.