More (Pulp album)

More
Studio album by
Pulp
Released6 June 2025 (2025-06-06)[1]
RecordedLate 2024[2]
StudioOrbb, London
Length50:16
LabelRough Trade
ProducerJames Ford
Pulp chronology
Party Clowns: Live in London 1991
(2012) 		More
(2025)
Singles from More
  1. "Spike Island"
    Released: 10 April 2025[2]
  2. "Got to Have Love"
    Released: 22 May 2025[1]

More (stylised as More.) is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pulp, released on 6 June 2025 on Rough Trade Records. Produced by James Ford, it is the band's first studio album in twenty-four years following We Love Life (2001) and is their first album since Freaks (1987) without bass guitarist Steve Mackey, who died in 2023.[3] Mackey is credited as a co-writer on two songs.

The returning four core members of Pulp – vocalist Jarvis Cocker, keyboardist Candida Doyle, drummer Nick Banks and guitarist Mark Webber – were joined in the studio by touring members Andrew McKinney (bass guitar), Emma Smith (violin) and Adam Betts (various instruments), who had previously worked with Cocker on his solo project Jarv Is and its 2020 studio album, Beyond the Pale. Current Pulp touring violist Richard Jones also contributed to the recording process.

Released to widespread critical acclaim, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's first number one album in over twenty-seven years, since the release of This is Hardcore in 1998.[4]

Artwork

The cover features a photograph taken by Jarvis Cocker at 15:10 on 15 July 2024 near Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland, whilst out for a walk on holiday with his son, Albert.[5] The original photo had four hikers descending the walking trail, but these were digitally replaced by graphic designer Julian House with four of the iconic cardboard-cutout band members from Pulp's Different Class era.

Promotion

The lead single, "Spike Island", was released on 10 April 2025, accompanied with a music video.[2] It reached number 26 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart the following June,[6] marking the first time that a Pulp song had appeared on any radio airplay chart in the United States.[7] The song received a 7" vinyl release with non-album B-side "Open Strings" on 23 May 2025[8] and subsequently topped the UK Physical Singles chart.[9]

The second single, "Got to Have Love", was released on 22 May 2025 with a music video that included footage of dancers from the Tony Palmer documentary The Wigan Casino (1977).[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[10]
Metacritic83/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Clash9/10[13]
Exclaim!8/10[14]
The Guardian[15]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[16]
Mojo[17]
MusicOMH[18]
Pitchfork7.5/10[19]
Record Collector[20]
Rolling Stone[21]

On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[11]

In a review for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote that after Different Class, "Pulp attempted to put as much distance between themselves and Britpop as they could; on More, they bridge that gap with integrity.... [Cocker] and the rest of the band may be older, but they never sound as weary as they did on This Is Hardcore and We Love Life.... More is classic Pulp, aged to near perfection."[12] In a 7.5/10 Pitchfork review, Nina Tavakoli wrote "though the album still has grounding in big fat basslines and BPMs that occasionally flirt with disco, the distinct chug of longtime bassist Steve Mackey... is missing all over", then adding "But Pulp remains resolutely Pulpy, and the ingredients and pillars that are absent are outpaced by what still is."[19] Awarding the album 4 stars out of 5, Mojo's John Mulvey stated, "If Pulp seem older and wiser – allbeit no less fun – now, they often seemed older and somewhat wiser than their Britpop peers in the 1990s", concluding that More "is greater than the sum of its fan service parts – that rarest of reunion records, in fact: one that transcends nostalgia to actually enhance a band’s legacy."[17]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker, except "A Sunset" (written with The Earth); all music is composed by Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Mark Webber, Jason Buckle, Andrew McKinney, and Emma Smith, with additional writers noted.

More track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Spike Island"Adam Betts4:42
2."Tina"Betts3:32
3."Grown Ups"Steve Mackey5:56
4."Slow Jam"Serafina Steer5:06
5."Farmers Market" 4:30
6."My Sex"Betts4:25
7."Got to Have Love"
4:52
8."Background Noise" 3:41
9."Partial Eclipse"Steer4:38
10."The Hymn of the North" (feat. Chilly Gonzales)Betts5:40
11."A Sunset"
3:14
Total length:50:16
Japanese CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Open Strings" 

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[22]

Pulp

Additional contributors

  • James Ford – production
  • Animesh Raval – mixing, engineering (all tracks); piano (3)
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Emma Smith – violin (all tracks), arrangement (2–7, 9, 10), choir vocals (2)
  • Andrew McKinney – bass guitar
  • Rich Jones – viola (1, 3, 6, 8, 11), arrangement (2–7, 9, 10), conductor (2, 4–11), piano (2, 5, 7)
  • Laura Moody – cello (1–5, 7, 9–11), arrangement (2, 5, 6), choir vocals (2)
  • Adam Betts – programming (1), percussion (2, 7, 10)
  • Jennymay Logan – violin (1–5, 7, 9), choir vocals (2)
  • Charlotte Stock – viola (2–7, 9, 10), choir vocals (2, 5, 9–11)
  • Sergio De Serra – cello (2–7, 9–11)
  • Paloma Deike, Phil Granell, Rosie Tompsett – violin (2–7, 9–11)
  • Shelley Britton – viola (2–5, 7, 9–11), choir vocals (2, 5, 9–11)
  • Zami Jalil – viola (2–5, 7, 9, 10), choir vocals (2, 5, 9–11)
  • David Kadumukasa – cello (2–5, 7, 9, 10), choir vocals (2)
  • Chihiro Ono, Freya Goldmark – violin (2–5, 7, 9, 10)
  • Adem Ilhan, Flora Curzon, Leo Chadburn, Mara Carlyle, Matthew Kerr – choir vocals (2, 5, 9–11)
  • Jason Buckle – electric guitar (4)
  • Serafina Steer – keyboards (4)
  • Val Welbanks – cello (7, 10)
  • Sam Becker – double bass (7, 10)
  • Jordan Bergmans – viola (7, 10)
  • Mandhira De Saram, Patrick Dawkins, Phil Granell, Ros Stephen – violin (7, 10)
  • Chilly Gonzales – piano (10)
  • Richard Hawley – acoustic guitar (11)

Charts

Chart performance for More
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 33
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 17
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[27] 1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[28] 27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 9
Irish Albums (OCC)[32] 6
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[33] 48
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34] 11
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[35] 16
Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[36] 25
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[9] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[38] 43
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[39] 15

References

  1. ^ a b c Breihan, Tom (22 May 2025). "Pulp – 'Got To Have Love'". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Reilly, Nick (10 April 2025). "Pulp announce More, their first album in 24 years and share lead single 'Spike Island'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  3. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (10 April 2025). "Pulp announce More, their first album since 2001". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 May 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Pulp top UK charts for the first time since 1998 with new album More". The Guardian. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Chart History: Pulp – Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  7. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (8 May 2025). "Pulp Scores First Airplay Chart Appearance in the U.S." Billboard. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  8. ^ Rigotti, Alex (6 May 2025). "Pulp announce vinyl release of 'Spike Island' single with new B-side". NME. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "Pulp | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  10. ^ "More by Pulp reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b "More by Pulp Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "More – Pulp". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (5 June 2025). "Pulp - More | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  14. ^ Pearson, Luke (2 June 2025). "Pulp Remain in a Different Class on 'More'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  15. ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 June 2025). "Pulp: More review – anthems and rage for the next life stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  16. ^ Winstanley, Luke (4 June 2025). "Pulp confound all expectations on More". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  17. ^ a b Mulvey, John (2 June 2025). "Pulp – More reviewed: Britpop misfits' first album in 24 years is one of their best". Mojo. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  18. ^ Murphy, John (3 June 2025). "Pulp - More | Album Of The Week, Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  19. ^ a b Tavakoli, Mina (10 June 2025). "Pulp: More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  20. ^ Atkin, Jamie (19 May 2025). "More | Pulp". Record Collector. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  21. ^ Johnston, Maura (6 June 2025). "Pulp's 'More' Is a Master-Class Comeback Record". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  22. ^ "More / Pulp / Credits". Tidal. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Pulp – More.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Pulp – More." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Pulp – More." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Pulp – More." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  27. ^ "Lista prodaje (strano) 24. tjedan 2025. (09.06.2025. - 15.06.2025.)" (in Croatian). Top lista. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Pulp – More.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pulp – More." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Pulp – More". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pulp – More" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  32. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  33. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-06-16/p/5" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  34. ^ "Charts.nz – Pulp – More.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  35. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Pulp – More.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  37. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pulp – More.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  38. ^ "Pulp Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  39. ^ "Pulp Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
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